Charles Dana Gibson
Charles Dana Gibson | |
---|---|
New York City, New York, U.S. | |
Nationality | American |
Education | Art Students League of New York |
Known for | Illustration |
Notable work | Gibson Girl series |
Spouse |
Irene Langhorne (m. 1895) |
Charles Dana Gibson (September 14, 1867 – December 23, 1944)[1] was an American illustrator who created the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th century.
He published his illustrations in Life magazine and other major national publications for more than 30 years, becoming editor in 1918 and later owner of the general interest magazine.
Early life
Gibson was born in
A talented youth with an early interest in art, Gibson was enrolled by his parents in New York City's Art Students League, where he studied for two years.[1]
Career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Gibson_Girl.png/220px-Gibson_Girl.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Their_First_Quarrel%2C_Gibson.jpg/220px-Their_First_Quarrel%2C_Gibson.jpg)
Peddling his pen-and-ink sketches, Gibson sold his first work in 1886 to
It is an oft-repeated urban legend that Gibson's wife and her elegant Langhorne sisters inspired his famous Gibson Girls, who became iconic images in early 20th-century society. The truth is that the first Gibson Girl appeared in 1890, more than two years before Gibson ever met the Langhorne family, and in later years it became fashionable for many of Gibson's friends and family to model for his illustrations.[6] Their dynamic and resourceful father Chiswell Langhorne had his wealth severely reduced by the Civil War, but by the late 19th century, he had rebuilt his fortune on tobacco auctioneering and the railroad industry.[7][8]
After the death of John Ames Mitchell in 1918, Gibson became editor of Life and later took over as owner of the magazine. As the popularity of the Gibson Girl faded after World War I, Gibson took to working in oils for his own pleasure. In 1918, he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member,[9] and became a full Academician in 1932.[10]
He retired in 1936, the same year Scribner's published his biography, Portrait of an Era as Drawn by C. D. Gibson: A Biography by Fairfax Downey. At the time of his death in 1944, he was considered "the most celebrated pen-and-ink artist of his time as well as a painter applauded by the critics of his later work."[11]
Personal life
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/C.D._Gibson_%26_wife_LCCN2014717834_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-C.D._Gibson_%26_wife_LCCN2014717834_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On November 7, 1895, Gibson was married to Irene Langhorne (1873–1956), a daughter of railroad industrialist Chiswell Langhorne.[12] Irene was born in Danville, Virginia, and was one of five sisters, all noted for their beauty, including Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor,[13] the first woman to serve as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.[14] Irene and Charles were the parents of two children:[3]
- Irene Langhorne Gibson (1897–1973),John Josiah Emery(1898–1976) in 1926.
- Langhorne Gibson (1899–1982),[17] who married Marion Taylor (1902–1960) in 1922.[18] He later married Parthenia Burke Ross (1911–1998) in 1936.[19]
For part of his career, Gibson lived in New Rochelle, New York, a popular art colony among actors, writers and artists of the period. The community was most well known for its unprecedented number of prominent American illustrators.[20] Gibson also owned an island off Islesboro, Maine which came to be known as 700 Acre Island; he and his wife spent an increasing amount of time there through the years.[21]
Gibson died of a
Legacy
Almost unrestricted merchandising saw his distinctive sketches appear in many forms. The
Work
-
Frontispiece to The Prisoner of Zenda, 1898
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Illustration from Rupert of Hentzau, 1898
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At the Beach, 1901
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Fancy Dress, 1901
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Love in a Garden, 1901
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The Crush, 1901
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Art Lesson, 1901
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Everything in the World That Money Can Buy, 1901
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Stepped On, 1901
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Fanned Out, 1914
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Studies in Expression: When Women Are Jurors, 1902
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March 26, 1925 Life cover by Gibson
See also
Citations
- ^ a b c "CHARLES D. GIBSON DEAD AT AGE OF 77; Famed Illustrator, Creator of 'Gibson Girl,' Succumbs to Heart Ailment in Home LAUNCHED VOGUE OF '90'S Noted for His Lighter Works, He Also Gained Recognition for His Paintings in Oils" (PDF). The New York Times. December 24, 1944. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ Rossiter Johnson, John Howard Brown (1904). The twentieth century biographical dictionary of notable Americans. The Biographical Society.
- ^ OCLC 359772.
- ^ Laura Barbeau (December 1979). "LONGFIELD (Gibson House) HABS No.RI-129" (PDF). Historic American Buildings Survey. National Park Service. Retrieved June 29, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- OCLC 168633.
- ^ Downey, Fairfax (1936). Portrait of an Era As Drawn by C.D. Gibson. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 100, 210–211.
- ^ "Charles Dana Gibson and his wife at their Islesboro, Maine, home", mainememory.net; accessed September 2, 2017.
- ^ "Mrs. Gibson, the original Gibson girl", Maine Memory Network; accessed September 2, 2017.
- ^ "All National Academicians (1825 – Present)". National Academy of Design. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "National Academicians – Past Academicians Archived 2014-01-16 at the Wayback Machine". National Academy. nationalacademy.org; retrieved March 19, 2017.
- ^ "Charles Dana Gibson" (PDF). The New York Times. December 25, 1944. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ a b Times, Special to The New York (April 21, 1956). "Mrs. Charles Dana Gibson Dies; Original Model for Gibson Girl; Widow of Artist Was One of Five Langhorne Sisters --Symbol of Nineties American Ideal of Beauty Founded Alliance Branch" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ "ASTORS TO VISIT MAINE.; Will Spend August With the Charles Dana Gibson Family" (PDF). The New York Times. June 11, 1926. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ Langhorne House, 117 Broad Street, Danville, Va., virginia.org Archived 2008-06-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Mrs. John J. Emery" (PDF). The New York Times. August 2, 1973. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "MRS. G.B. POST JR. ASKS PARIS DIVORCE; Former Irene Langhorne Gibson Accuses Her Husband of Desertion" (PDF). The New York Times. February 16, 1926. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ "Langhorne Gibson, 82 Writer and Artist's Son". The New York Times. July 12, 1982. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "MISS TAYLOR TO WED LANGHORNE GIBSON; Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Moses Taylor Engaged to Son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dana Gibson" (PDF). The New York Times. July 1, 1922. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ "PARTHENIA B. ROSS HAS HOME BRIDAL Mrs. PauI.Downing's Daughter Wed to Langhorne Gibson, Nephew of Lady Astor. WILL VISIT WEST INDIES Bridegroom, Author of Books on Naval History, Is Executive of Life and Son of Noted Artist" (PDF). The New York Times. January 10, 1936. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ Progressive Architecture – Volume 3, 1922, google.com; accessed September 2, 2017.
- ^ Charles Dana Gibson at his Islesboro home, vintagemaineimages.com Archived March 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "RITES FOR C. D. GIBSON; Relatives and Friends Attend Service at Artist's Home" (PDF). The New York Times. December 27, 1944. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
General and cited sources
- Bulloch, J. M. (1896). "Charles Dana Gibson". The Studio. Vol. VIII. pp. 75–81. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
- Davis, Charles Belmont (January 1899). "Mr. Charles Dana Gibson and His Art". The Critic. Vol. XXXIV, no. 859. pp. 48–55. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
- Gelman, Woody, ed. (1969). The Best of Charles Dana Gibson. New York: Bounty Books. OCLC 71597.
- Gibson, Charles Dana (1969). Edmund Vincent Gillon, Jr. (ed.). The Gibson Girl and Her America: The Best Drawings of Charles Dana Gibson. New York: Dover Publications. OCLC 1112853195.
- —— (1905). Sketches in Egypt. New York: Doubleday & McClure Co. OCLC 3537342. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
- Marden, Orison Swett (1905). "Chapter XXXIII: Being Himself in Style and Subjects, the Secret of an Artist's Wonderful Popularity: Charles Dana Gibson, Originator of the 'Gibson Girl'". Little Visits with Great Americans. New York: The Success Company. pp. 342–352. OCLC 5292021. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Works by Charles Dana Gibson at Project Gutenberg
- Works by Charles Dana Gibson at Faded Page (Canada)
- Works by or about Charles Dana Gibson at Internet Archive
- Charles Dana Gibson at Find a Grave