jan 1, 1882 - Oscar Wilde visits Salt Lake City [Part 23]

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The citizens of Salt Lake were looking forward to the visit of that famous personage, the "singularly deep young man" of the Aesthetic Movement, Oscar Wilde, who chose a stop in Utah on his extensive 1882 American tour.

Oscar Wilde, dressed in an outrageous manner for his American lecture tour. The 6’4” Wilde would often sport shoulder length hair in ringlets, matching black velvet coat and knee breeches, a vest, black stockings, silver buckles on pointed shoes, with ruffles on his shirt and cuffs.

He was everything a Mormon leader didn’t want their members to embrace.

Wilde was touring the United States from England, preaching the “Gospel of The Aesthetic Movement.” The Aesthetic Movement was popular during the latter half of the 19th century. It was a movement that celebrated good—natural art. Wilde believed people should surround themselves with beautiful things in order to be happy. He became such a proponent that he was dubbed the “Sun Flower Apostle.” His followers often wore sunflowers as a show of affection.

The Latter-day Saints leaders were not excited that Oscar Wilde was visiting Zion. It was their goal to remain in the world—not of the world, and Wilde threatened that goal. However, church leaders agreed (as was custom) to host Oscar Wilde and his male partner through Utah’s capitol city while he visited.

Wilde met with Church President, John Taylor at his home, the Gardo House, on 70 East South Temple. The home was built by Brigham Young for one of his wives, Amelia. President Taylor was proud of the house, its décor and furnishings. Wilde was then invited to tour the Tabernacle near the unfinished Salt Lake Temple. As the “apostle of aesthetics” Wilde was disturbed by the “soup kettle” design of the Tabernacle and commented that it was large enough to hold 14 polygamous families. He joked that the seating was wife, wife, wife, wife, wife, wife, wife, husband, wife, wife, wife, wife, wife, wife…

Wilde, who was traveling around the United States to promote natural art was repulsed to see that Latter-day Saints had painted pine columns to look like marble pillars and commented that Mormon decorations were only suitable for a jail. He mocked the Mormons for their disappointing aesthetics.

Mormon leaders were furious at Oscar Wilde’s review of their city.

Their fury intensified when during the evening lecture for which Wilde had traveled to Utah to deliver, seated in the front row of the Salt Lake theater were effeminate men wearing sunflowers in their lapels. Wilde, who was pending trial in England for being homosexual had attracted a mass of queer Salt Lake area men, and this infuriated leaders of the Church, George Q. Cannon being the most outraged. Not only had Wilde offended the leaders of the Church, but he had given rise to the sodomites in Utah—sodomite men from their own Mormon congregations.

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