Don’t you just love this cover girl? She was drawn by Harold Speakman (1888-1928) and part of the 1915 work The Rubáiyát of a Bachelor. She reminds me of the stylized figures that are often associated with The New Yorker magazine. She was on the cover of the book I found her in but she could have just as easily been on that popular magazine.
She seems a bit stunned or surprised by something. Her expression and body positioning indicate that she is scandalized in some way. Perhaps it is because she is watching a young bachelor escort one of his servants out in public. Not so far fetched is that theory considering our cover girl was indeed part of the same image as Courtin’, a drawing of a female servant on the arm of her bachelor employer.
I liked the drawings better as separate figures, which is way I’ve posted them on Reusable Art separately. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if you think all three belong in the same work.
This lady is wearing a tight-fitting, long skirt that has blue circles surrounded by red circular outlines. Her top or jacket swoops down the back and has a high collar and hem that match the background color of the skirt. She’s wearing a long-sleeved blouse with frilly cuffs. To top off her outfit, she is wearing a matching hat with a red cardinal for decoration. Let’s hope he was manufactured and not a stuffed bird. They were doing that for a while. Some ladies were even using live birds and tying their feet to their hats. So sad that we humans used to do things like that.
Anyway, I think this fashionable cover girl would make a great addition to a new project. She has a style and flair that is both vintage, yet timeless. I wish she was a little larger and the scan a little cleaner but I have little doubt someone out there will find a great new home for her.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
