Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1912-05-17

al negatives. The young woman
seemed absolutely dumfounded that
her photograph should be wanted.
True, some Of her friends had told
her she had profile like the lady on
the silver dollar, but no one had ever
suggested that she even remotely re-
sembled the famous Venus de Milo.
Yet her Photograph. which is shown
on this page, shows how remarkable
Is the resemblance. In the opinion
OF DR.. Genthe, who is doctor Of
comparative philology and philosophy
having received his degree at the
Universities Of Jena and Berlin, she
Is the finest specimen of the pure
Greek and the nearest approach to
the supreme ideal Of feminine beauty
he has ever seen.
At the studio, DR.. Genthe learned
the identity of the Venus. She prov
ed to be Miss Gertrude Eddington.
aged twenty-five, from Bozeman,
Montana. She had been brought up
on ranch where, as a girl, she had
herded cattle, milk cows, and lived
healthful outdoor life. Three years
ago she came to New York to 20 On
the stage. She ,apnrared in IVA IT..
three Frohman productions, but at
the present time, is devoting all her
time to studying. Her parents on
both sides are German and from
them she inherited the blue eyes and
golden hair 50 common in North Ger
many.
But not only does her perfect Gre
clan profile, the serene loftiness of
her expression, which seems to have
nothing to do with the struggle and
turmoil of life about her, and the
quality of her eye, which Homer and
other Greek writer's described as
conveyed" resemble the Venus de
Milo, but her measurements corres-
pond exactly with the Greek ideal.
She measures seven and one.half
times the length of her head, ten
times the length of her face, nine
times the length OF her hands and
seven times the length of her foot.
She stands five feet nine inches and
weighs l4O pounds.
"Miss Eddington is the nearest ap-
proach to the Venus de Milo have
ever seen or ever expect to see." said
DIR. Genthe. "And as the Venus de
Milo is the acknowledged highest
standard of beauty in woman's form.
it is IL resemblance that she may well
be proud Of. One of the chief charms
OF the Venus de Milo is that she is
not conscious of her beauty. There
is nOthingSensuala about her. Indeed
she is almost seNless, because of the
lack OF some feminine quality. She
seems more like Il godlike thing that
the artist tried to express in marble,
than II human being. She seems
above all petty worries and in her
expression there is Il certain placidity
that cannot be disturbed.
"All these qualities Miss Eddington
possess as her photograph plainly
shows. 1t, too, is sexless, lacking all
sensual or feminine qualities. Care
ful comparison with the head of the
Venus de Milo will reveal the fact
that it is absolutely Identical.
"Of course we do not know that the
original of the Venus de Milo had
golden hair. Personally think she
did. Red pigment has been found on
the heads of many statues in Greece,
and it is more than likely that the
Venus de Milo was blue-eyed and
golden haired. But as far as profile,
expression and measurements are
concerned, there is not the slightest
discrepancy. 1t is the most wonder
ful likeness have ever encountered
in all my experience as II photograph
er, artist and traveller