Of course it is possible to take 19th century vocabulary and behavior and
misread them in a 21st century mindset.  It's call presentism, and it
happens all the time, even among academics. But it is also possible - more
likely, even, among good-willed scholars - to simply miss 19th century
references to behaviors not commonly discussed or committed to paper.

Reading 19th century letters, diaries and fiction, one can be forgiven for
thinking that people had sex less often and enjoyed it less than today,
since the references to sexual activity come with less frankness or
frequency than today. I don't see people making this assertion, however.

If people believe that homoeroticism had no practitioners in the 19th
century, then it should come as no surprise that there are no references to
it in the sources.

If, on the other hand, you believe homosexual behavior did exist in the 19th
century, careful scholars will find references, however oblique, by
thoughtful reading of source material.  Absent direct reference to
homoerotic behavior, only assertions of likely occurrence are possible.  But
without babies, much the same could be said of heterosexual relationships
from the same era.

Interested scholars will find pretty exacting references in several of the
books and articles mentioned here.

On the subject of the guitar: I did read through all the letters in the Mark
Twain Papers, and references to guitars are very scarce. References to
music, generally, come infrequently. You can't conclude from this that Sam
didn't own and occasionally strum a guitar, but it seems likely that
references would be more common if he were a dedicated musician.

I also don't recall more than a handful of letters from visitors to the
Twain house - even overnight guests - who mention musical accompaniment to
the evening. Again, this doesn't prove anything, but it does give a strong
indication that the assertions about Sam's musicianship or attachment to a
particular guitar are overblown.

Andy Hoffman