Charles Dana Gibson, an American illustrator, working at his desk, around the early 1900s.
Charles Dana Gibson was a renowned American illustrator active during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He gained fame for synthesizing the "Gibson Girl," a symbolic depiction of the idealized Euro-American woman of that era. This figure embodied both beauty and independence, reflecting the evolving societal views of women at the dawn of the 20th century.
To complement his Gibson Girl, Gibson introduced the Gibson Man as her counterpart. Distinguished, gallant, and full of admiration, the Gibson Man clearly revered the Gibson Girl. Gibson's illustrations subtly highlighted his admiration for women's superiority, but he managed to convey this without making men overtly conscious of this bias. The inspiration for Gibson's Man was [Richard Harding Davis,](https://reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/s/oYCRh8qjz the turn-of-the-century "Ideal Man," who also likely didn't recognize his perceived inferiority in Gibson's view.
Read more about Gibson [here.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dana_Gibson)
Read more about the ["Gibson Girl."](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Girl)