Charles Dana Gibson

After reading Chapter 9 and the brief talk about Charles Dana Gibson, my interest was piqued and I decided to research some more about his work and influence on society.

Charles Dana Gibson’s artistic journey began while watching his father cut silhouettes when he was a boy. At 12 years of age, Gibson’s silhouettes were selling at exhibitions. His parents saw his artistic potential and had him apprenticed to a sculptor named Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Yet sculpture was not his forte, and he instead fell in love with pen and ink. Later he was enrolled at the Art Students League but had to leave school after studying there for 2 years due to an unforeseen financial hardship.

In 1885, Gibson found work at LIFE magazine, and he was a valuable asset to the magazine for the presence of his drawings actually enabled circulation numbers of LIFE to increase.  Audiences found his drawings highly appealing and took glee at how he poked fun at high society.

"The Gibson Girl" EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2001).

The Gibson Girl is Charles Dana Gibson’s most famous creation as she instantly recognized for being a portrayal of feminine ideal of the Early 1900s. First appearing in 1890, she appears with the characteristics of aloofness, confidence, flirtatiousness, and athletic abilities. She could have belonged to either class in society, of wealth or middle class. She reflected the changing roles of women of that time period. Gone were Victorian corsets and petticoats, now to be replaced with modern blouses and skirts. The Gibson Girl was highly admired by both women and men alike, she became an icon of pop culture much like today’s Barbie. Women in particular sought to mimic the Gibson Girl’s alluring fashion style. 

Unfortunately, the Gibson Girl and Charles Dana Gibson’s romantic drawings lost favor with the public with World War I. The flapper girl replaced her and became the new symbol for defiance of old fashion norms.

Even though his popularity had waned, Charles Dana Gibson still continued his pursuit of art and turned his attention from pen and ink to oil painting. He died in 1944 after suffering from a heart attack a few weeks earlier.

References:

"The Gibson Girl" EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2001).

NMAI, . "Charles Dana Gibson: America Imagist." National Museum of American Illustration. (2012). Web. 23 Oct. 2012. <http://www.americanillustration.org/artists/gibson/gibson.html>. 

OSU. "Image and Lifestyle." eHistory at OSU. OSU. Web. 24 Oct 2012. <http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/clash/newwoman/image and lifestyle-page1.htm>.