Camille Clifford by Bassano, whole-plate glass negative, 22 May 1916
© National Portrait Gallery, London via
Camille Clifford by Bassano, whole-plate glass negative, 22 May 1916
© National Portrait Gallery, London via
Camille Clifford by Bassano, whole-plate glass negative, 22 May 1916
© National Portrait Gallery, London via
Camille Clifford by Bassano, whole-plate glass negative, 22 May 1916
© National Portrait Gallery, London via
Camilla Antoinette Clifford (1885 – 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 on 29 June 1885 in Antwerp, Belgium to 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 corseted, eighteen-inch wasp waist.
Photographs of her taken by Lizzie Caswall Smith in 1905 often appear in historical fashion books and on websites to illustrate the Edwardian style.
Camille Clifford via
Camille Clifford via
Camille Clifford via
Camille Clifford via
Camille Clifford via
Camille Clifford via
Otto Sarony, Portrait of Evelyn Nesbit, 1900s via
Tightlaced Gibson Girl, Camille Clifford, showing her ideal La Belle Époque figure via
Edwardian lady wearing Redfern, who among other things popularised high-waisted Grecian style dresses after 1908 via
Dress for the races by J. Dukes, photo by Reutlinger, Les Modes, May 1912 via
A fashionable woman at the races in 1909. Scanned from the book “The Mechanical Smile” by Caroline Evans via
Gorgeous Edwardian dresses, hats and parasols, 1906. Belle epoque fashion via
Actress Lily Elsie in an Ewdardian gown via
Raoul Dufy was one of the great innovators of 20th century textile design here is an example on velvet for a Paul Poiret cape 1911 via
Woman wearing French fashion. ca. 1905 via
Fashion, ca. 1914 via
Antique photo postcard of Edwardian beauty with a large hat and a snowfox stole around her shoulders via
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