“She never married”: Archival abundance and the realm of possibilities for queer women at the turn of the 20th century

This article challenges dominant narratives of queer absence in historical archives by examining women’s same-sex relationships in Denmark at the turn of the 20th century. While feminist and queer scholars have often emphasised archival silences surrounding non-heterosexual lives, we uncover not an archive of loss, but one of abundance. Drawing on Anjali Arondekar’s concept of “archival abundance,” we analyse demographic data and archival materials – including letters, photographs and official records – to reframe the phrase “she never married” as an opening, rather than a closure. Our research reveals abundant and visible traces of queer intimacy, gender non-conformity and alternative kinship structures that have been frequently overlooked or misinterpreted. With our queering of historiographical methods, we propose a shift from reading women’s lives through a lens of absence and silence to recognising the queer possibilities embedded in their lived experiences and everyday practices. This reframing invites a more expansive understanding of queerness in historical research and archival interpretation.