{"product_id":"a-most-infamous-young-swindler-the-short-tragic-life-of-thomas-langrel-harris-9798989416219","title":"\"A Most Infamous Young Swindler\": The Short Tragic Life of Thomas Langrel Harris","description":"\u003ch2\u003eThe Untold Story of Thomas Langrel Harris\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThomas Langrel Harris lived only 24 years, yet his brief life intersected with some of the most influential figures of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Oscar Wilde called him \"a most infamous young swindler\" while renowned photographer Edward Steichen referred to him as \"one of the biggest men of our time.\" For nearly a century, Harris remained unidentified in historical records—a ghost in the margins of art history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis meticulously researched biography by Patricia J. Fanning, Ph.D., reveals the full story of a talented artist, significant photographic model, and mercurial young man whose trace Fate seemed determined to erase. Artistically gifted yet rejected by his parents, plagued by uncontrollable mood swings, Harris was gay, manic, and quite possibly a genius before taking his own life at age 24.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrom Illinois to Paris: A Life Across Two Worlds\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe narrative spans from the small town of Petersburg, Illinois, to the grand boulevards of Paris, France, during the fin de siècle period. Harris moved through artistic circles that included F. Holland Day, Oscar Wilde, and Edward Steichen, serving as both creator and muse. His story illuminates the hidden lives of LGBTQ+ individuals in turn-of-the-century America and Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout Author Patricia J. Fanning\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePatricia J. Fanning, Ph.D. is professor of sociology emerita at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Her publications include essays on connections between the arts, primarily photography and literature, and the wider American culture. She has written two books about turn-of-the-century Boston arts and culture: \"Through an Uncommon Lens: The Life and Photography of F. Holland Day\" (2008) and \"Artful Lives: The Francis Watts Lee Family and Their Times\" (2016).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rock Street Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51325312860434,"sku":"9798989416219","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_cae1902f-0887-459f-86f0-c9f44b98c0e5.jpg?v=1748726343","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-most-infamous-young-swindler-the-short-tragic-life-of-thomas-langrel-harris-9798989416219","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}