No single image did more to define the look and wit of the American Gilded Age than In the meantime by Charles Dana Gibson. Gibson’s “Gibson Girl” illustrations, of which this is a celebrated example, became so iconic that by 1901, Mark Twain quipped that “there is only one serious rival to the Statue of Liberty, and that is the Gibson Girl.” Though the exact date and medium of In the meantime are uncertain, its popularity is undisputed: it was reproduced in countless magazines and prints, and its central figure helped launch a new standard of beauty and independence for women at the turn of the twentieth century. The scene captures a moment of charged anticipation: a young woman, poised and self-assured, sits alone with a letter in hand, her gaze distant and thoughtful. Around her, carefully rendered details—a fashionable hat, a crisp collar, the subtle suggestion of a drawing room—signal her modernity and social standing.

The letter, likely from a suitor, is both a prop and a symbol: it hints at the new freedoms and choices available to women of her era, as well as the uncertainties that accompanied them. Unlike the idealized, demure women of earlier illustrators, Gibson’s subject is alert and in control, her expression ambiguous—caught “in the meantime” between decision and action. In contrast to John Singer Sargent’s painted society women, Gibson’s pen-and-ink style is brisk and graphic, emphasizing character over ornament. As with many of Gibson’s works, the original drawing for In the meantime was created for mass reproduction, likely first appearing in a magazine such as Life or Collier’s Weekly, where Gibson was a regular contributor.

The whereabouts of the original are unknown, a common fate for illustrations intended for publication rather than gallery walls. Nevertheless, prints and later reissues have kept the image in circulation, and it remains a touchstone in the history of American illustration. In the meantime stands as a testament to Gibson’s influence: he helped shape not only the look of an era, but also the aspirations and attitudes of a generation.