Dorothy Gibson in a 1911 publicity photo

Dorothy Gibson (nee Dorothy Winifred Brown, May 17, 1889 – February 17, 1946) was a pioneering actress in American silent film and a popular artist's model, active in the early 20th century. She is best remembered as a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (800x1353, 261 KB) Summary Dorothy Gibson in a 1911 publicity picture. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (800x1353, 261 KB) Summary Dorothy Gibson in a 1911 publicity picture. ... is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... For other uses, see Titanic (disambiguation). ...

She might've been the inspiration for Rose DeWitt Bukater from the 1997 film Titanic. The following is a list of characters from the 1997 film Titanic. ... The year 1997 in film involved some significant events. ... Titanic is a 1997 American romance film directed, written, produced and edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS Titanic. ...

Early life and career

The daughter of John A. and Pauline Boesen Brown, Dorothy was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her father died when she was three years old and her mother remarried John Leonard Gibson. Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. ...

Between 1906 and 1911, Dorothy Gibson appeared on stage as a singer and dancer in a number of theatre and vaudeville productions, the most important being on Broadway in Charles Frohman's musical The Dairymaids (1907). She was also a regular chorus member in shows produced by the Shubert Brothers at the Hippodrome Theatre. This article is about the musical variety theatre. ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Charles Frohman (1860 - 1915) was a U.S. theatre manager. ... ... The Hippodrome from an old postcard The Hippodrome Theatre stood in New York City from 1905 to 1939. ...

Dorothy Gibson as illustrated by Harrison Fisher, 1911

In 1909, the year she married George Battier, Jr., Dorothy began posing for famous commercial artist Harrison Fisher, becoming one of his favorite models. Her image appeared regularly on posters, postcards, various merchandising products and in book illustrations over the next three years. Fisher also often chose her likeness for the covers of best-selling magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Ladies Home Journal, and the Saturday Evening Post. Dorothy was widely publicized during this time as "The Original Harrison Fisher Girl". Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (800x1069, 220 KB) Summary Dorothy Gibson illustrated by Harrison Fisher, 1911. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (800x1069, 220 KB) Summary Dorothy Gibson illustrated by Harrison Fisher, 1911. ... Harrison Fisher illustration, from Hearts and Masks by Harold MacGrath, from the Project Gutenberg collection Harrison Fisher illustration, from The Princess Elopes by Harold MacGrath Harrison Fisher The Father of a Thousand Girls, was an American commercial artist. ... June 1936 issue Cosmopolitan is a magazine for women, sometimes referred to as Cosmo, which has been published for more than a century. ... A cover of Ladies Home Journal from 1906 Ladies Home Journal is a magazine first published February 16, 1883 as a womens supplement to the Tribune and Farmer. ... There have been many publications called the Saturday Evening Post; several were/are local British newspapers. ...

Meantime, Dorothy separated from Battier, though the couple was not divorced until about 1916.

Film career

Represented by top theatrical agent Pat Casey, Dorothy Gibson entered movies in early 1911, joining the Independent Motion Picture Company (IMP) as an extra and later the Lubin Studios as a stock player. She was hired as leading lady by the new U.S. branch of Paris-based Éclair Studios in July 1911. She was an instant hit with audiences, becoming one of the first actresses in the new medium of film to be promoted as a "star" in her own right. Carl Laemmle Carl Laemmle (January 17, 1867 – September 24, 1939) born in Laupheim, Württemberg, Germany, was a pioneer in American film making and a founder of one of the original major Hollywood movie studios. ... Lubin Studios, Philadelphia (c. ... For the camera company, please see Eclair (camera). ...

Praised for her natural, subtle acting style, she was particularly effective as a comedienne in such popular one-reelers as Miss Masquerader (1911) and Love Finds a Way (1912), all of which were produced at Fort Lee, New Jersey, then the center of the burgeoning American motion picture industry. Map highlighting Fort Lees location within Bergen County. ...

Dorothy Gibson and Lamar Johnstone in a scene from the comedy, The Lucky Hold Up (1912)

Despite her popularity in comedies, one of her most important parts was that of Molly Pitcher in the historical drama, Hands Across the Sea (1911), Eclair's debut vehicle and her first star turn. By far Dorothy Gibson’s most famous screen role was that of herself in Saved From the Titanic (1912), based on her experiences in the legendary disaster. Saved From the Titanic, released a month after the sinking, was the first of many films about the event. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (800x603, 159 KB) Summary Scene from The Lucky Hold Up (1912) starring Dorothy Gibson and lamar Johnstone. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (800x603, 159 KB) Summary Scene from The Lucky Hold Up (1912) starring Dorothy Gibson and lamar Johnstone. ... Saved From the Titanic is a 1912 silent film starring Dorothy Gibson, an actual Titanic survivor. ...

The episode of the Titanic is the best known aspect of Dorothy Gibson's life. After a six-week vacation in Italy with her mother, Dorothy was returning aboard Titanic to make a new series of pictures for Eclair at Fort Lee. The women had been playing bridge with friends in the lounge on the night of the ship's fatal collision with the iceberg. With two of their game partners they escaped in the first lifeboat launched. After arriving in New York on the rescue ship Carpathia, Dorothy was convinced by her manager to appear in a film based on the sinking. She not only starred in the one-reel drama, but wrote the scenario. She even appeared in the same clothing she had worn aboard Titanic –– a white silk evening dress topped with a cardigan and polo coat.

Dorothy Gibson in a promotional photo for Saved From the Titanic (1912)

Although Saved From the Titanic was a tremendous success in America, England, and France, the only known prints were destroyed in a 1914 fire at the Éclair Studios, so it is now considered a lost film. It's considered by film historians to be one of the greatest losses of the silent era. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (600x821, 177 KB) Summary Dorothy Gibson in a promotional photo for the film Saved From the Titanic (1912). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (600x821, 177 KB) Summary Dorothy Gibson in a promotional photo for the film Saved From the Titanic (1912). ... A lost film is a feature film or short film that no longer exists in either studio archives or private collections. ...

Dorothy’s other accomplishments in early cinema included starring in one of the first feature films made in the United States (Hands Across the Sea, 1911), co-starring in the first American-produced serial or chapter play (The Revenge of the Silk Masks, 1912), and making one of the first-ever public appearances by a movie personality (January 1912).

With contemporary Mary Pickford, whose undemonstrative acting style was compared to her own, Dorothy Gibson was the highest paid movie actress in the world at the time of her premature retirement in May 1912. In a brief but eventful cinematic career, Dorothy appeared in an estimated 16 Eclair films and in an unspecified number while at Lubin and IMP studios. Mary Pickford (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979) was an Oscar-winning Canadian motion picture star and co-founder of United Artists in 1919. ...

Dorothy left movies to pursue a choral career, her most notable appearance in that venue being at the Metropolitan Opera House in Madame Sans-Gene (1915). The Metropolitan Opera is located at Lincoln Center in New York, New York. ... Madame Sans-Gêne may refer to: Cathérine Hubscher, wife of Marshal of France François Joseph Lefebvre, whose life has been dramatised in: an 1893 Madame Sans-Gêne (play) by Victorien Sardou a 1915 Madame Sans-Gêne (opera) by Umberto Giordano a 1924 Madame Sans-G...

Personal life

In 1911, Dorothy began a six year love affair with married movie tycoon Jules Brulatour, head of distribution for Eastman Kodak and co-founder of Universal Pictures. Brulatour was also an advisor and producer for Eclair; he backed several of Dorothy's films, including her 1912 hit Saved From the Titanic. A year later, while driving Brulatour's sports car in New York, Dorothy struck and killed a pedestrian. During the resulting court case, it was revealed in the press that she was his mistress. Although Brulatour was already separated from his wife, the humiliation of the scandal determined her to sue him for divorce, which was finalized in 1915. Brulatour's rising fame and political power forced him to legitimize his relationship with Dorothy Gibson, and the pair were finally wed in 1917. Jules Brulatour in 1911 Jules Brulatour (ne Pierre Ernest Jules Brulatour, 1870-1946), was a pioneering figure in US silent cinema. ... Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) is an American multinational public company which produces photographic materials and equipment. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ...

Its legality challenged, the union was dissolved two years later as an invalid contract. To escape gossip and start a new life, Dorothy left New York for Paris, where she remained, except for the four years she spent in Italy during World War II. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Later life

A Nazi sympathizer and alleged intelligence operative, Dorothy Gibson Brulatour renounced her involvement by 1944. She was arrested as an anti-Fascist agitator and jailed at San Vittore, from which she escaped with two other prisoners, journalist Indro Montanelli and General Bartolo Zambon. Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal         Nazism or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... San Vittore is a municipality in the district of Moesa, in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. ... Indro Montanelli (1909-2001) was an Italian journalist and historian, known for his new approach to writing history in his books History of the Greeks, History of the Romans, etc. ...

Living in France, in 1946 Dorothy died of a heart attack in her apartment at the Hôtel Ritz Paris at age 56. She is buried at Saint Germain-en-Laye Cemetery. Dorothy's estate was divided between her lover, Emilio Antonio Ramos, press attache for the Spanish Embassy in Paris, and her mother. Heart attack redirects here. ... Hôtel Ritz at Place Vendôme The Hôtel Ritz is a hotel located at 15 Place Vendôme, in the heart of Paris, France. ... Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a city west of Paris, in the Yvelines département (of which it is a sous-préfecture), in the Ile-de-France région, in France. ...

Legacy

Dorothy Gibson’s only surviving film is the adventure-comedy, The Lucky Holdup (1912). Salvaged by collectors David and Margo Navone in 2001, it was preserved by the American Film Institute and is now archived at the Library of Congress. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ...

The character of Susan Alexander in Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941) may have been partly based on Dorothy Gibson, along with other real-life figures Marion Davies, Hope Hampton, and Ganna Walska. She was also the inspiration for a character in her friend Indro Montanelli’s novel General della Rovere, which was turned into an award-winning film by director Roberto Rossellini in 1959. This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Citizen Kane is a 1941 mystery/drama film released by RKO Pictures and directed by Orson Welles, his first feature film. ... Marion Davies (January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress. ... Hope Hampton Hope Hampton (Mae Elizabeth Hampton) (19 February 1897 - 23 January 1982) was a silent motion picture actress, who was noted for her seemingly effortless incarnation of siren and flapper types in silent-picture roles during the 1920s. ... Ganna Walska was the owner of Lotusland, a 37 acre garden in Santa Barbara, California. ... Roberto Rossellini (May 8, 1906 - June 3, 1977), was an Italian film director. ...

Authors Don Lynch and John P. Eaton were the first contemporary historians to rediscover Dorothy Gibson, writing and lecturing about her as early as the 1980s. The first in-depth study of Dorothy's mysterious later life was conducted by Phillip Gowan and Brian Meister and published in the journal of the British Titanic Society in 2002. In 2005, the first full-length biography of Dorothy Gibson, by Randy Bryan Bigham, was released.

References

• Bigham, Randy Bryan. Finding Dorothy: An Appreciation of the Life and Career of Dorothy Gibson Brulatour. ISBN 0-615-12752-5. 
• Bottomore, Stephen. Titanic and Silent Cinema. 
• Mills, Simon. The Titanic in Pictures. ISBN 1-899493-00-X. 
• Thompson, Frank. Lost Films: Important Movies That Disappeared. ISBN 0-8065-1604-6. 

External links

• Dorothy Gibson - The Internet Movie Data Base
• Star Turn: The Pictures and Passions of Dorothy Gibson by Randy Bryan Bigham
• Dorothy Winifred Gibson - Encyclopedia Titanica.org
• The Saga of the Gibson Women by Phillip Gowan and Brian Meister, Titanic-Titanic.com
• Dorothy Gibson: The Titanic Girl by Hugues Marc Antoine Bartoli, ClassicImages.com
• HarrisonFisher.com