Century Girl

by Lauren Redniss

The Ziegfeld Follies, Florenz Ziegfeld's stage spectacular, promised the best performers, the most lavish sets, and the most ravishing girls. Doris Eaton Travis was one of these prized beauties–and, at 14, was chosen as the youngest chorus girl in the Follies. "Mine eyes are yet dim with the luminous beauty of a girl named Doris," one Chicago reviewer wrote.

Today, at the age of 102, Eaton is the last living Ziegfeld girl. Over the past century, she has performed for presidents and princesses, entertained Gershwin, Lindbergh, and Astaire, starred in silent and talking pictures, bantered with Babe Ruth, offended Henry Ford, outlived six siblings, written a newspaper column, hosted a television show, earned a Phi Beta Kappa degree in history, raised turkeys, and raced horses. Century Girl is a visual tour of this extraordinary woman's journey through the ages.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Graphic Novels, Art, Memoir, Theatre

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Lauren Redniss is the author of Century Girl: 100 years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies and Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout, a finalist for the 2011 National Book Award for non fiction. Her writing and drawing has appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, which nominated her work for the Pulitzer Prize. She was a fellow at the Cullman Center for Scholars & Writers at the New York Public Library in 2008-2009, became a New York Institute for the Humanities fellow in 2010, and is currently Artist-in-Residence at the American Museum of Natural History. She teaches at Parsons the New School for Design in New York City.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine if A&E's old Biography series had been co-directed by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie). That's kind of what this book is like. Beautiful in every way. Love it love it love it.

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew of Doris Eaton Travis because she was the oldest living follies dancer, and because she danced at age 100 on the New Amsterdam stage. (Footage of her dancing can be seen on Broadway: The American Musical). As an avid fan of all entertainment from the turn of the century, I was naturally interested in this book.

Lauren Redniss uses an artistic, scrapbooking style to approach Doris' life, and uses background information, news articles, interviews with her, and photos of her life to paint the picture. The font is the same one they use on the cups at Chipotle, so it looks like scribbly handwriting with different sized letters and wavy lines.

Maybe now that Doris has passed, a more complete biography will be written about her life. Until then, this book is great eye candy.

[Curlita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a biography and an art journal/scrap book all rolled up in one. It is amazing in two senses -- the first is being able to read about an amazing woman who has lived a long and amazing life. The second is that the book itself is an amazing, beautiful, quirky and creative conglomeration of text and images.

I'm glad to see picture books being created for big people! We like to look at pictures too!

[Graceann · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a bit misleading to mark this as a graphic novel, given that it is non-fiction, but the way the subject is presented, in photographs with carefully selected text, is visually artistic in the most pleasing of ways.

Doris Eaton lived to be well over 100 years old, and stayed mobile almost to the end of her days (she was sharp as a tack, apparently, right up until her last moment). She saw a great deal of history, and even made some of it in her century of keeping body and soul together while being lovely.

Did you know that she introduced the song Singin' in the Rain? I didn't, and apparently she spent many, many years correcting others who assumed that it was Cliff Edwards. She had good reason to remember, given that she loved Nacio Herb Brown and he wrote it for her.

Thanks to the scrapbooks that the whole family kept, and the wonderful adventures that Doris Eaton had, this book is a visual treat. I hope Lauren Redniss does more like this because it was a unique, fascinating way to learn about a life.

[Kaion · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look into the world of glitzy Broadway, the vaudeville circuit, and early-20th century pop culture, Century Girl is a sprightly, entertaining read that combines just the right amount of color and substance to the subject. As a biography of Doris Eaton, Lauren Redniss struggles a lot more with spinning it all into a narrative, especially in regards to Eaton's post-fame life, which feels somewhat abbreviated. If Girl isn't exactly the triumph of the form, it does show Redniss developing her particular storytelling combination -- historical research, whimsy and mixed media work (a style she would perfect in Radioactive).

It did seem perhaps at times that Redniss was too close to the subject and couldn't gain the necessary perspective on Eaton as she did on the Curies. There may also be something to the observation that the subject matter in Radioactive (chemistry!) has not frequently been portrayed so Redniss was forced to stretch herself a little more in making the story visual and *vital*. Rating: 3.5 stars

[courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want her to do my biography

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with her previous work Radioactive, Redniss once again weaves together a magical biography filled with images, illustrations, and unique formatting. I've never read books quite like the ones Redness creates. They are lovely.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel is well worth a read. It is the story of the Ziegfeld Follies girl Doris Eaton Travis. It goes through her life and talks about some of the awesome changes that happened in her life. She faced the challenges with a dancing spirit. There were lots of pictures she and her sisters were really beautiful. She lived to be over 100! What a life she lived full of dancing, turmoil and memories. Very interesting.
Quote from Doris about helping with WWII effort "We were very busy during the war. People would come to us to relieve their anxiety. We used to go up to Kalamazoo once a week to the hospital and teach the fellas there. Some of them had lost legs and arms but we helped them to get back the feeling that they could be part of things"(p. 129).
"Unchanged for some 400 million years, the chambered nautilus is often called a living fossil. As the animal develops and outgrows its shell it builds a new compartment, sealing off the previous one and moving on to the new chamber. Though the previous chambers are walled shut, they remain attached and the vapor inside the empty chambers provides the creature with buoyancy. Thus the past is not lost, but rather supports the continuing organism"(p. 184).

[Heather]

This book is both a fascinating and inspirational story, and atistically GORGEOUS. Redniss is a breathtaking artist, although her handwritten text is slightly difficult to read at times, not for content but for design. The art is so beautiful and captivating, and truly encompasses the glory days of the follies. I would truly encourage this read for anyone who enjoys dance, Arthur Murray, biographies, history of the US, the art nouveau or anything to do with the Ziegfield Follies. It is a lovely book, an only took about a day to read, as the text is sparse on the primarily graphic pages, but it's worth the read.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! I've watched specials on the Ziegfeld Follies since I was little, so this was of particular interest. This book is so beautiful and artistic, combining photos with doodles and lyrical stories. I can't believe Doris is still alive today at 104! And she still dances three times a week!
This book embodies her inspiration, and I highly recommend it.

[Ben Truong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Century Girl: 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies is a graphic novel written by and illustrated by Lauren Redniss. It is a graphic novel that tackles the life of Ziegfeld Follies star Doris Eaton.

Doris Eaton Travis was an American dancer, stage and film actress, dance instructor, owner and manager, writer, and rancher, who was the last surviving Ziegfeld Girl, a troupe of acclaimed chorus girls who performed as members in the Broadway theatrical revues of the Ziegfeld Follies.

Born in 1904 to a theatre-crazed Virginia family, Eaton was cast in New York's famous Follies at age fourteen, appeared in numerous silent films, worked for years as a dance instructor, and earned her college degree at age of eighty-eight.

Century Girl: 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies is written and constructed extremely well. New York Times contributor Redniss' surrealist scrapbook approach is striking and unique, captivating readers by twining simple, evocative text with a stunning array of images, splaying words at all angles across the page. Each page offers a wild mix of illustrations, doodles, photos and memorabilia from Eaton's archives, accompanied by handwritten text outlining her fascinating life, which comes across like something out of the musical Gypsy.

All in all, Century Girl: 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies is a biography-in-collage graphic novel which tackles the life of Ziegfeld Follies star Doris Eaton.

[Greg Leatherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging, picaresque romp through the life of a fascinating person. It's a breeze to read and enjoyable, but it is not an in depth biography or a normal book. Instead, it is a sort of annotated scrapbook of a remarkable life. Recommended for anyone interested in the Ziegfeld Girls, Americana, and the silent film era. I subtracted one star because it lacks any real depth for any but the central character, even as it whets your appetite to know more about them (the lives of Doris Eaton Travis' siblings are very interesting, but barely sketched here). I found myself fascinated, however, by Doris Eaton Travis and thought the book was very well done, insofar as design and execution. Recommended.

[MH · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous art book tracing the extraordinary life of Doris Eaton - Follies girl, actor, businesswoman, and incredibly long-lived dancer - and her siblings, several of whom were on the Broadway stage as well. Eaton's mother and brother kept comprehensive scrapbooks, and the many images from photographs and newspaper and magazine articles get re-purposed into colorful, evocative montages to accompany the text. The text itself is often very difficult to read - hand-lettered, artistically crammed and strangely formatted - but the book itself is just beautiful, and Doris' life story is at turns glamorous, heart-breaking, and deeply inspiring.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Lauren Redniss’s approach to storytelling. The intermingling of the words and images. A narrative collage. I just enjoyed this book so much. And Doris Eaton, the youngest Ziegfeld Follies “girl” who became the oldest living Ziegfeld “girl” with some life twists and turns in between, well she’s fascinating! Great.

[Liz Yerby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting like a coffee table book you want to read cover to cover. I feel a little weird about it, I heard about the author when asking for comic recommendations— but it’s not quite the completeness of a comic, or the art I expect from a graphic novel. Not even maira Kalmanesque, But she had a interesting story

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book! Informative, artsy, fun! Also- ginormous and difficult to ready because how do you hold it?? lol. I really enjoyed learning about Doris Eaton Travis. She’s an inspiration and her story is really the story of the 20th century.

[Jillian Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was both beautiful to look at and read.

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!! Visually amazing and just a fascinating look at a life and history!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any fan of showgirls, or enduring women! A beautiful scrapbook, whimsical in its design.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. The story is interesting in itself, but the author has the most cunning illustrations and collages that are the best part of the book. It's magical.

[Kip · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book! History comes to live in this graphic, scrapbook-like format that highlights the life of an incredible dancer from the 20th century.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. I’m going to seek out Redniss’s other books now!

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, informative and entertaining.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doris Eaton Travis lived a fascinating and amazing life. Due to the unconventional format it is only an overview of her life, but there are some brilliant photos in this book. My only complaint is that the text was a bit hard to read at times.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another stunning tour de force from Lauren Redniss. Through a montage of photographs, newspaper articles and drawings, Redniss captures the life of a truly remarkable woman, Doris Eaton. Not many people can say they lived an entire century and even fewer can claim the life of glamour and intrigue that characterizes Doris Eaton's glory days. As a member of the Ziegfeld Follies, Eaton lived the type of life that we romanticize and daydream about when we think of the 1920s. Appearing on stage and the big screen, Doris truly had it all...and lost it all in the 30s when the Great Depression hit. Her story is full of excess, tragedy, glamour and achievement. Redniss has a knack for capturing the lives of unique and admirable women who flout convention and achieve great things (maybe she should start a series?) and her storytelling approach is truly an artform.

[Jeffrey Yamaguchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lauren Redniss' Century Girl is a work of art that tells the story of a remarkable woman, Doris Eaton Travis. It is visually stunning -- the colors and art/photos/clippings and presentation make the cleverly inked biographical words LIVE on the page. And though longevity is one of the book's hooks -- "100 years in the life..." -- it is really about LIVING life, really, truly living life. It's a very unique experience reading this book -- you open a page and the gorgeous, artistic presentation really draws your eyes. You soak it all in, and then you read the words. As you read the words, you take in the art in a new way, and the words and the art combine to unfold the story in a really wonderful way. I highly recommend this book.

[Donna-Jo Webster · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I finally picked this up from the library, I was surprised to see how large (I'm talking "coffee table book large") this title was. While beautifully illustrated with a ton of lovely vintage photos detailing Doris Eaton's extraordinary life, I was a little disappointed that the text - the actual story of Doris - wasn't longer. It seemed as if each two-page spread only covered a brief blip in her life and career, and just when you got interested in one anecdote, bam! Three years pass and there's another story to tell. And sorry, call me an old codger or something, but the hand-written text (I get that it tried to look like one of her scrapbooks) was just plain distracting. Very interesting, but could have been so much better as a regular biography.

[Jessica Rosner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject of this colorful book, Dorothy Easton Travis, was an amazing, accomplished, intrepid human being. The art work is beautiful. The writing is whimsical. But somehow, I found it to be unsatisfying.
My favorite book that is not a graphic novel, but uses art and text, is The Principles of Uncertainty, by Maira Kalman. That book manages to be simple yet profound. It leaves you wanting more, in a good way.
But Century Girl is trying too hard to be gorgeous, to amaze with typography, with collage. To me it looks like many other things I've seen...the magazine Cloth, Paper, Scissors has dozens of examples of work that could stand beside this one.
Read it because of the subject.
But I wouldn't buy it.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visually stunning biography in collage form. Doris started in the Ziegfield Follies when she was barely fourteen and over the years met eeeeeeverybody--not only Ziegfeld but also Woodrow Wilson, Will Rogers, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Fred Astaire, Babe Ruth, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson, Charles Lindbergh, the Warner Brothers (back when they were Eichelbaums), Oscar Levant, and many more . . . including John Wayne, back in 1929 when "he was the prop boy." It was also interesting to read about her struggles and triumphs in later life, as a businesswoman and college graduate. (She graduated from college at 88 and got an honorary doctorate at 100.)

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Century Girl was good, but in many ways disappointing. I had expected (when I ordered the book through Interlibrary Loan) a typical non-fiction book. Instead, it was a collage, mixing text, drawings and photos, as well as newspaper clippings. While the book itself was enjoyable, I felt like it lacked depth. Doris Eaton Davis is over 100 years old and has lived a life full of adventure and many challenges. I can only imagine what stories she has to share that this book failed to even scratch the surface of.