Camille Clifford
Encyclopedia
Camilla Antoinette Clifford (29 June 1885 – 28 June 1971) was a Belgian
-born stage actress and the most famous model for the "Gibson Girl
" illustrations. Her towering coiffure and hourglass figure
defined the Gibson Girl style.
Clifford was born in Antwerp, Belgium
to parents Reynold Clifford and Matilda Ottersen. Camille was raised in Sweden
, Norway
and Boston
. In the early 1900s she won US$2000 in a magazine contest sponsored by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson
to find a living version of his Gibson Girl
drawings: his ideal woman. Clifford became an actress, performing in the United States from 1902 and in England from 1904. She returned from London to Boston on 3 July 1906. While only playing walk-on, non-speaking roles, Clifford became famous nonetheless: not for her talent, but for her beauty
. Her trademark style was a long, elegant gown wrapped around her tightly corset
ed, eighteen-inch wasp waist
.
She retired from the stage and married Captain the Honourable Henry Lyndhurst Bruce in 1906. They had one child, Margaret, but the child died five days after birth. Her first husband was killed during The Great War
in 1914.
She made a brief return to the stage after the death of her first husband. Then in 1917, married Captain John Meredyth Jones Evans. After the war she left the stage for good and later owned a stable of successful racehorses. Her second husband died in 1957.
Despite her reputation as "the quintessential Gibson Girl
", she was by no means the only person to pose for the popular character.
Photographs of her taken by Lizzie Caswall Smith
in 1905 often appear in historical fashion books and on websites to illustrate the Edwardian style
.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
-born stage actress and the most famous model for the "Gibson Girl
Gibson Girl
The Gibson Girl was the personification of a feminine ideal as portrayed in the satirical pen-and-ink-illustrated stories created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period spanning the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the United States.Some people argue that the...
" illustrations. Her towering coiffure and hourglass figure
Wasp waist
Wasp waist refers to a woman's fashion silhouette, produced by a style of corset and girdle, that has experienced various periods of popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its primary feature is the abrupt transition from a natural-width rib cage to an exceedingly small waist, with the hips...
defined the Gibson Girl style.
Clifford was born in Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
to parents Reynold Clifford and Matilda Ottersen. Camille was raised in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In the early 1900s she won US$2000 in a magazine contest sponsored by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson
Charles Dana Gibson
Charles Dana Gibson was an American graphic artist, best known for his creation of the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th century....
to find a living version of his Gibson Girl
Gibson Girl
The Gibson Girl was the personification of a feminine ideal as portrayed in the satirical pen-and-ink-illustrated stories created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period spanning the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the United States.Some people argue that the...
drawings: his ideal woman. Clifford became an actress, performing in the United States from 1902 and in England from 1904. She returned from London to Boston on 3 July 1906. While only playing walk-on, non-speaking roles, Clifford became famous nonetheless: not for her talent, but for her beauty
Beauty
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture...
. Her trademark style was a long, elegant gown wrapped around her tightly corset
Corset
A corset is a garment worn to hold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes...
ed, eighteen-inch wasp waist
Wasp waist
Wasp waist refers to a woman's fashion silhouette, produced by a style of corset and girdle, that has experienced various periods of popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its primary feature is the abrupt transition from a natural-width rib cage to an exceedingly small waist, with the hips...
.
She retired from the stage and married Captain the Honourable Henry Lyndhurst Bruce in 1906. They had one child, Margaret, but the child died five days after birth. Her first husband was killed during The Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914.
She made a brief return to the stage after the death of her first husband. Then in 1917, married Captain John Meredyth Jones Evans. After the war she left the stage for good and later owned a stable of successful racehorses. Her second husband died in 1957.
Despite her reputation as "the quintessential Gibson Girl
Gibson Girl
The Gibson Girl was the personification of a feminine ideal as portrayed in the satirical pen-and-ink-illustrated stories created by illustrator Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period spanning the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in the United States.Some people argue that the...
", she was by no means the only person to pose for the popular character.
Photographs of her taken by Lizzie Caswall Smith
Lizzie Caswall Smith
Lizzie Caswall Smith was an early 20th century British photographer who specialised in society and celebrity studio portraits, often used for postcards. She was associated with the Women's Suffrage movement and photographed many suffragettes including Flora Drummond, Millicent Fawcett and...
in 1905 often appear in historical fashion books and on websites to illustrate the Edwardian style
1900s in fashion
Fashion in the period 1900–1910 in European and European-influenced countries continued the long elegant lines of the 1890s. Tall, stiff collars characterize the period, as do women's broad hats and full "Gibson Girl" hairstyles...
.