Nearly 100 years ago, wealthy English intellectual Vincent Donovan settled in Valais' Blinnental valley, shocking the conservative Catholic village of Reckingen with his transformation and unconventional lifestyle in nature.
"With his behaviour, his manners and his bowler hat, he stood out in the village."
"White bread was a luxury that the population could not afford."
In the rugged, wild Blinnental valley of Valais, a story that sounds like a Hollywood script unfolded nearly a century ago. It is a tale of nature, identity, and surprising acceptance, centered on a wealthy English intellectual who sought refuge in a mountain cave and transformed into a woman. This is the remarkable story of Vincent Donovan, who became Miss Franca Kraig, leaving an indelible mark on the history of the small, conservative village of Reckingen.
When Vincent Donovan arrived in the Goms district in 1929, it was a meeting of two different worlds. On one side, the simple, strictly Catholic mountain farmers of Reckingen; on the other, a highly-educated, cultured, and well-to-do Englishman. According to local historian Ilse Carlen, 'With his behaviour, his manners and his bowler hat, he stood out in the village.' Drawn to the supreme reign of nature, Donovan eschewed conventional lodging and made his home in a cave under a large boulder, a good hour's walk from the village, arousing the deep curiosity of the locals.
The 'English gentleman' of the cave did not remain as the villagers first knew him. In a gradual and public transformation, Vincent Donovan became Miss Franca Kraig. 'His hair grew longer, his shirt became a blouse, his trousers became a skirt, and so on,' explains Ilse Carlen. This was not a hidden change, but a slow metamorphosis witnessed by the entire community. The man who had arrived with a bowler hat was now a woman, living her truth in the solitude of the Swiss Alps.
What is perhaps most astonishing about this story is the reaction of the local population. In a deeply conservative and Catholic village of the 1930s, one might expect rejection and scandal. Instead, they accepted Miss Kraig. This acceptance was fostered by Donovan's own actions. He was generous, offering visitors cigarettes, tea, and jam with white bread—a rare luxury the mountain farmers could not afford. His knowledge and English humour also won them over. 'He won over the villagers and made friends with them,' says Carlen, who remains amazed that this was possible at that time.
Despite the local acceptance, Franca Kraig lived a life of caution and seclusion. Her family in London, while supportive of her transition, feared social ruin if the story became public in England. This desire for privacy, however, did not stop the story from making waves in Switzerland. In 1932, a Valais newspaper described a 'mysterious, eccentric, man-woman' whose clothing, 'right down to her silk stockings, was impeccable.' Later, in 1935, a Zurich weekly magazine dubbed her a 'shy eccentric' and managed to publish photographs against her wishes. Kraig's life was a paradox: openly herself in a small village, yet hidden from the wider world.
Almost a hundred years later, the story of Franca Kraig continues to fascinate and inspire. It is a powerful testament to a community's capacity for tolerance in an era not known for it. The tale of the English intellectual who found their true self in a Swiss mountain cave, and the villagers who accepted them, challenges our preconceptions of the past. As historian Ilse Carlen notes, 'The fact that this was possible in a mountain village at that time never ceases to amaze me.' It remains a profound piece of local heritage, a story of courage and an unexpected chapter in Swiss and LGBTQ history.