Collect: American Art

Evelyn Nesbit was a model, chorus girl, and actress who rose to fame during the early 20th century. She gained widespread attention for her striking beauty and became one of the most famous artists' models in the United States during the Gilded Age. Beginning her career as a teenage model, she posed for illustrations and photographs which were widely circulated via magazines and advertisements. She quickly cemented her status as a symbol of beauty and grace in the public eye. Her life took a dramatic turn when she became embroiled in scandal. Known as the "Stanford White Affair", in 1906, Nesbit's former lover, the renowned architect Stanford White, was murdered by her husband, Harry Kendall Thaw. The incident brought Nesbit into the spotlight with sensationalized media coverage and court trials that captivated the nation. The trial, dubbed the "Trial of the Century," centered around Nesbit's past relationship with White and Thaw's subsequent actions. Despite the scandal, Nesbit continued her career in entertainment, performing on stage and in silent films. She became a prominent figure in vaudeville and later appeared in movies, leveraging her fame and beauty to sustain her career in the entertainment industry. Nesbit's captivating life, brimming with glamour, tragedy, and controversy, seized the public's imagination. Her tale has been immortalized in numerous books, films, and plays, etching an enduring legacy within popular culture and the collective memory of the Gilded Age.