Hartley is bashful about his homosexuality, often redirecting attention towards other aspects of his work. Works such as "Portrait of a German Officer", and "Handsome Drinks" are coded. The compositions honor lovers, friends, and inspirational sources. Hartley no longer felt unease at what people thought of his work once he reached his sixties. Scenes became more intimate from locker rooms to muscular hairy-chested men in what appear to be short trousers. "Flaming American (Swim Champ)" of 1940 has no need to decipher the homoerotic undertones. As Hartley's German officer paintings were misread as being pro-German, these new paintings were misinterpreted as being pro-American.