Existing comment:
Southern Beauty:
Gibson created this drawing more than a decade after his marriage in 1895 to Irene Langhorne, a native Virginian. Viewers may detect some resemblance to the artist's wife in this half-length image. The young woman's demure expression, modest dress, and regal air befit a beautiful southern belle. The drawing was published multiple times in book review and advertising sections of Scribner's and Collier's Weekly, and as a frontispiece for editions of Mrs. Burton Harrison's popular novel entitled A Daughter of the South. |