In a very popular 1901 article, 20th century author Caroline Ticknor recounts a fictitious encounter between a typical steel-engraving lady and the woman who had recently entered society to replace her, dubbed by society as the "New Girl," or the "Gibson Girl". Ticknor creates a juxtaposition between the genteel, proper, house-ridden steel-engraved lady and the progressive, empowered, ambitious Gibson Girl. Everything from their differences in dress, manner of speech, and personalities reflect the societal changes to come with the turn of the century as they argue over what it means to be a woman in their modern society. 6
In their exchange, the Gibson Girl offers this bold monologue for her steel-engraving counterpart:
We have done away with all the over-sensitiveness and overwhelming modesty in which you are enveloped. . .. When a man approaches, we do not tremble and droop our eyelids, or gaze adoringly while he lays down the law. We meet him on a ground of perfect fellowship, and converse freely on every topic. . .. Whether he likes it or not makes little difference; he is no longer the one whose pleasure is to be consulted. The question now is, not "What does man like?" but "What does woman prefer?" That is the keynote of modern thought. You see, I've had a liberal education. I can do everything my brothers do; and do it rather better, I fancy. I am an athlete and a college graduate, with a wide universal outlook. My point of view is free from narrow influences, and quite outside of the home boundaries. 7
Ticknor manufactures an unequivocal contrast between the two competing women in society which she perpetuates throughout the rest of her article, including through the steel-engraving lady's response to such an audacious testimony:
The theory of my education . . . was designed to fit me for my home; yours is calculated to unfit you for yours. You are equipped for contact with the outside world, for competition with your brothers in business; my training merely taught me to make my brother's home a place which he should find a source of pleasure and inspiration. I was taught grace of motion, drilled in a school of manners, made to enter a room properly, and told how to sit gracefully, to modulate my voice, to preside at the table with fitting dignity. In place of your higher education, I had my music and languages and my embroidery frame. I was persuaded there was no worthier ambition than to bring life and joy and beauty into a household, no duty higher than that I owed my parents. Your public aspirations, your independent views, your discontent, are something I cannot understand. 8
In this single exchange between these two fictional characters, Caroline Ticknor successfully epitomizes the very essence of each woman and her respective era, in addition to the deep-rooted differences that define each.
The Gibson girl represented all that modern feminists of the time encouraged and epitomized as the ideal woman. The Gibson Girl was athletic, independent, and competent- a trifecta that attracted not only feminists of the time, but also working women and women of all social rankings. Furthermore, pictures and drawings of her frequently depicted her playing a sport such as golf, or simply enjoying a day at the beach. More importantly though was the Gibson Girl's relationship to men in every portrayal- no matter in what activity she was partaking, she was always in a position of power over her male counterpart. Whether it be that she was physically drawn larger or with darker ink, or whether her artist asserted her authority in a more figurative way, she consistently held a superior position to men. This was a notion that empowered and liberated women across the country who were seeking deeper meaning and purpose in their lives outside of being caretakers and house-keepers. 9
In addition to a more liberating demeanor, the New Woman also clad herself in a more liberating style of clothing. The taste of the Gibson Girl's clothes differed from that of the Steel-Engraving Lady in that functionality and versatility took precedence over appearance and aesthetics. This translated to a lighter, more mobile wardrobe that often took form in the "basic shirtwaist style". This classic look consisted of a plain fitted skirt matched with a separate blouse; it became widely popular in the late 19th century and sparked the beginning of a new approach to women's dress design. 10
In their exchange, the Gibson Girl offers this bold monologue for her steel-engraving counterpart:
We have done away with all the over-sensitiveness and overwhelming modesty in which you are enveloped. . .. When a man approaches, we do not tremble and droop our eyelids, or gaze adoringly while he lays down the law. We meet him on a ground of perfect fellowship, and converse freely on every topic. . .. Whether he likes it or not makes little difference; he is no longer the one whose pleasure is to be consulted. The question now is, not "What does man like?" but "What does woman prefer?" That is the keynote of modern thought. You see, I've had a liberal education. I can do everything my brothers do; and do it rather better, I fancy. I am an athlete and a college graduate, with a wide universal outlook. My point of view is free from narrow influences, and quite outside of the home boundaries. 7
Ticknor manufactures an unequivocal contrast between the two competing women in society which she perpetuates throughout the rest of her article, including through the steel-engraving lady's response to such an audacious testimony:
The theory of my education . . . was designed to fit me for my home; yours is calculated to unfit you for yours. You are equipped for contact with the outside world, for competition with your brothers in business; my training merely taught me to make my brother's home a place which he should find a source of pleasure and inspiration. I was taught grace of motion, drilled in a school of manners, made to enter a room properly, and told how to sit gracefully, to modulate my voice, to preside at the table with fitting dignity. In place of your higher education, I had my music and languages and my embroidery frame. I was persuaded there was no worthier ambition than to bring life and joy and beauty into a household, no duty higher than that I owed my parents. Your public aspirations, your independent views, your discontent, are something I cannot understand. 8
In this single exchange between these two fictional characters, Caroline Ticknor successfully epitomizes the very essence of each woman and her respective era, in addition to the deep-rooted differences that define each.
The Gibson girl represented all that modern feminists of the time encouraged and epitomized as the ideal woman. The Gibson Girl was athletic, independent, and competent- a trifecta that attracted not only feminists of the time, but also working women and women of all social rankings. Furthermore, pictures and drawings of her frequently depicted her playing a sport such as golf, or simply enjoying a day at the beach. More importantly though was the Gibson Girl's relationship to men in every portrayal- no matter in what activity she was partaking, she was always in a position of power over her male counterpart. Whether it be that she was physically drawn larger or with darker ink, or whether her artist asserted her authority in a more figurative way, she consistently held a superior position to men. This was a notion that empowered and liberated women across the country who were seeking deeper meaning and purpose in their lives outside of being caretakers and house-keepers. 9
In addition to a more liberating demeanor, the New Woman also clad herself in a more liberating style of clothing. The taste of the Gibson Girl's clothes differed from that of the Steel-Engraving Lady in that functionality and versatility took precedence over appearance and aesthetics. This translated to a lighter, more mobile wardrobe that often took form in the "basic shirtwaist style". This classic look consisted of a plain fitted skirt matched with a separate blouse; it became widely popular in the late 19th century and sparked the beginning of a new approach to women's dress design. 10
6. Todd, Ellen Wiley. The "New Woman" Revised: Painting and Gender Politics on
Fourteenth Street. (Berkeley: University of California Press, c1993 1993.)
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Stage, Sarah. "Seeing Through American Beauty." (American Quarterly. Last
modified July 1984.)
10. White, Erica Michelle, "Representations of the True Woman and the New Woman in
Harper's Bazar" (2009).
Fourteenth Street. (Berkeley: University of California Press, c1993 1993.)
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Stage, Sarah. "Seeing Through American Beauty." (American Quarterly. Last
modified July 1984.)
10. White, Erica Michelle, "Representations of the True Woman and the New Woman in
Harper's Bazar" (2009).