Born on a Nebraska farm at the turn of the 20th century, by the 1940s, Perkins Harnly was known for his paintings of lavish Victorian interiors (an era that had ended by the time he started his art career). His fascination with the more lavish things in life went beyond his artistic work—Harnly spent the ’30s in Los Angeles, where he acquired a colorful network of acquaintances and even won a few prizes at local drag balls. In a discussion hosted by the National Portrait Gallery […]