Saar de Swart

In this shared home, de Swart lived with Willem Witsen, who would go on to become a famous Dutch painter, drawing on influences from the Hague School.

[2] De Swart later moved to the small villa Het Gooi, near Laren, with her life partner, Emilie van Kerckhoff.

[5] Her trips back to Amsterdam and her rejection of the painter Willem Karsen's love lead to toxic rumors of her sexuality being spread around her community.

[2] A friend of de Swart's, Jan Veth, then organized to put an end to the situation at Café Suisse, which quieted the rumors.

"[6] This is due to the fact that the writer, Willem Kloos, whom she met in Amsterdam, and the painter Eduard Karsen both fell in love with her in spite of her open homosexuality.