Was Lizzie Borden Really a Lesbian? the True Story Behind the Screen Portrayal
By Maya Lin-Takahashi
If the Bridget Sullivan romance is an invention of modern screenplays, Lizzie Borden’s post-trial connection to stage actress Nance O'Neil is historically documented. Following her acquittal, Lizzie and her elder sister Emma inherited their father's wealth, promptly purchasing a 13-room Victorian mansion on French Street in Fall River’s affluent "Hill" district, which Lizzie christened "Maplecroft."
Around 1904, Lizzie met Gertrude Lamson, a charismatic, deep-voiced stage performer known professionally as Nance O'Neil. Borden became utterly infatuated with O'Neil's theatrical circle. She funded O'Neil’s touring productions, hosted extravagant parties for her acting troupe at Maplecroft, and spent substantial time traveling with the actress between Boston and New York. Fall River high society, which had already ostracized Lizzie despite her legal exoneration, reacted with scandalized outrage at her theatrical associations.
The intensity of the relationship ruptured Borden’s own family. In 1905, sister Emma Borden abruptly packed her belongings, walked out of Maplecroft, and never spoke to Lizzie again. In a rare 1913 newspaper interview with the Boston Sunday Post, Emma admitted that Lizzie’s "infatuation" with the actress played a central role in their permanent estrangement. However, no letters between Borden and O'Neil survived. When O'Neil faced bankruptcy in 1907, the friendship quietly dissolved, and O'Neil later married British actor Alfred Hickman in 1916.
Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.
