1890-1910: The Gibson Girl

he Gibson Girl was named for magazine illustrator Charles Dana Gibson’s drawings. The Gibson Girl was the essence of independence and athleticism. The bustle’s reign on fashion had ended, but women were still required to wear several petticoats, and cumbersome skirts. A woman’s waist was still cinched to 18 painful inches. 

The business style of the Gibson Girl’s shirtwaist with long sleeves and sleek skirt became the defining style for the era.  Women entering the workforce as sewing machine operators, typists, secretaries, and store clerks enjoyed the somewhat freer and more practical style of the Gibson Girl.