Show & Tell Friday: Gibson Girl Bride

Hello everyone in blogland! Welcome back to another Show & Tell Friday, hosted by Cindy at My Romantic Home.
I thought I would share another one of my lovely lady dolls from my very small collection. This was the first of my lady dolls that I purchased, probably in 1992 or 1993.
You can view the others I showed in the past, HERE and HERE, if you missed them the first time around.

This lady doll is a Gibson Girl bride doll; she was a limited offer, authorized by the great-grandson of the Gibson Girl creator, graphic artist Charles Dana Gibson (September 14 1867---December 23, 1944).
The Gibson Girl was the personification of the "ideal woman" as portrayed in the satirical pen and ink illustrated stories written by Charles Dana Gibson during the late 19th century and into the early 20th century.
Gibson's fictional images were extremely popular over a 20 year period and the image of the Gibson Girl appeared on everything, from parasols, fans and screens, to souvenir spoons, ashtrays and dishes.

The Gibson Girl was tall and slender. Her figure, the ideal of the time, was achieved by the then-fashionable swan-bill corset to form an S-curve torso, with ample bosom, wasp waist and curved hips. She was often portrayed with a long slender neck, youthful features, ephemeral beauty and lustrous hair piled high on her head in a bouffant, pompadour, or waterfall chignon hair style, which was then popular.

The Gibson Girl was intelligent, fashionable and at-ease and she was often depicted as an equal and sometimes teasing companion to men. She personified beauty, a limited amount of independence (she was often shown attending college as well) and personal fulfillment.
One writer, Susan E. Meyer, in her book America's Great Illsutrators, described the Gibson Girl as:
"She was poised and patrician.
Though always well-bred, there often lurked a hint of mischief in her eyes.
She was taller than other women currently seen in the pages of magazines, infinitely more spirited and independent, yet altogether feminine."


Many models posed for the Gibson Girl illustrations, including Gibson's wife, Irene Langhorne.
One of the most famous real persons who was considered a "Gibson Girl", was Belgian-American stage actress, Camille Clifford, whose high coiffure, long elegant gowns and tightly corseted hourglass figure defined the style.

                                                                   Camille Clifford

One of my favorite Gibson illustrations. It says, "They are only collecting the usual fans and gloves." I love the image of the gentlemen gallantly scuttling under tables and chairs while the ladies await them.

You'll have to forgive her wrinkled appearance; like my other dolls, she's been in storage for awhile.

She has lovely green eyes and strawberry blonde hair.

Her elaborate bouffant hair style is so elegant.

Her sleeves have tiny pearl buttons. She even sports a gold wedding band.

Her high-necked gown as a bodice of net point d'esprit lace and she carries a bouquet of peach-colored ribbon roses.

The skirt on her ecru colored satin dress has a chapel-length train and is trimmed in this beautiful scalloped lace.

Her porcelain feet wear yellow shoes with peach-colored shoe-roses. Even the trim on her petticoat is pretty.

She even has a "G" embroidered on her petticoat. Even though I know it stands for "Gibson", I decided to give her a name (since she didn't have one) and I call her Gemma.

Thanks for stopping by!