What's Your Name?

One of Charles Dana Gibson's girls. In his words, she was "The American girl to all the world."

What I know: This photograph is from the Pat Sides Jennings collection, so it is likely a Mariencheck or Durling ancestor. Beyond that, we've nothing to turn to for clues except their fabulous attire. Both appear to be wearing fashion typical to the Edwardian period - roughly 1901-1910. Her "walking skirt" was gaining popularity during that time as the structure of women's clothing began steering more toward practical and away from fanciful. The skirts were cut wider at the bottom to allow for walking or even riding a bike. Her Edwardian collar and even the "Edwardian tuck" of her blouse are also typical of middle class women's dress from the period. The rest of her look is text book Gibson Girl! Created by illustrator Charles Gibson, the Gibson Girl was  the personification of female beauty. The drawings, which began appearing in 1890, featured up-swept, bouffant hair, hourglass, or "S-curve" figures, and a decidedly feminine attitude.  Our man is a tad harder to peg. His double-breasted frock overcoat is also typical of the Edwardian time frame. But two things are puzzling: First, we didn't find other examples of exaggerated sleeve caps like his. While this could be a bespoke garment, it doesn't seem probable. Secondly, the fit is atrocious! To quote Paul Klinck, "Whose jacket is that guy wearing?"  To be safe, we'll guess the date range as 1890-1910. Do you know who this is?

Sources: 
Charles Dana Gibson and the Gibson Girls, by livelyroots.com
Image courtesy Elizabeth Camden, "What's the Appeal of the Gibson Girl?"