Gay tattoo artist and pornographer, who, with the help of Gertrude Stein and Alfred Kinsey, turned away from academia to form bonds with other gay artists, and write books about BDSM, rough trade, and leather. He authored erotic novels under the pseudonym Phil Andros and tattooed with the pseudonym Phil Sparrow, later becoming the official tattooist for the Hell’s Angels.
Samuel Steward’s prolific sexual escapades were meticulously documented in his “Stud File” containing nearly 5,000 experiences with hundreds of men. Steward specially memorialized his encounter with movie star Rudolph Valentino, keeping a reliquary with one of the star’s pubic hairs with him for the duration of his life.
“There are six stages in getting drunk. Jocose, amorous, bellicose, morose, lachrymose, and comatose.”
— Samuel Steward
(July 23, 1909-1993)
Sign: Leo
“Faggot Forefathers” is a weekly series highlighting the lives of historically significant gay men and their contributions to our world.
