Saturday, January 1, 2011

Last Judgement He Ever Made

However, making a rug out of a bear that said your shoes didn't match the rest of your outfit is a bit harsh.

4 comments:

Paladin said...

One of my favorite pictures of Evelyn Nesbit - the girl in the red velvet swing. She looks so untroubled by any hint of the turmoil to come....

She had a scandalous affair as a young girl (16yrs) with Stanford White(47yrs), who was a famous architect of the day. Later in life she married Harry Thaw, who was a wealthy heir to a Railroad and Coal fortune.

Upon learning of her previous tryst with White, Thaw became enraged. When he next saw White in a New York Restaraunt, Thaw walked up to him and shot him three times in the face at point blank range.

Fascinating story. It dominated the newspapers of the day.

Kal said...

Love that story. New York City. Birth of tabloid newspapers. Wasn't there something about a Golden statue too? The story was part of the movie 'Ragime' (one of my favorites from the time - Jimmy Cagney's last movie) with the more than beautiful Elizabeth McGovern playing Nesbit who was a Gibson Girl (I think that's what they callled them) the standard of beauty for the time characterized by big hair, large breast and a large butt in a dress that covered everything but the face and hands. In those days that story must have made people love their freakin' minds.

Paladin said...

Yep... and Evelyn was also the inspiration for Charles Gibson's iconic "Gibson Girl" profile.

The statue rumored to be based on Evelyn once stood atop the original Madison Square Garden, as designed by Stanford White. However its just a rumor. The statue of "Diana" was actually made when Evelyn was only 8 years old - so it seems unlikely to be based on her.

M. D. Jackson said...

I saw RAGTIME in the theaters years ago. So she was the original Gibson girl? It all makes sense now. It's funny how bits of information rattle around your head all your life then one moment puts them all together. Thanks to both of you! I feel most enlightened!