New Rochelle in Westchester County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Nell Brinkley
| | New Rochelle Walk of Fame | |
Nell Brinkley was the most popular illustrator and writer of romantic fantasy cartoons in the 1920s and 1930s. She was the creator of the "Brinkley Girl," characterized by lacy dresses and curly hair. The "Brinkley Girl" was a young liberated working woman who lived a secret romantic fantasy life. In one series of cartoons titled Betty and Billy and their love through the ages, the lovers see all of their past incarnations together in a crystal ball from ancient Egypt to Renaissance Scotland. The Brinkley Girl quickly became more popular than the stuffy "Gibson Girl." She appeared on magazine covers, in advertisements and pop songs and was the theme of the 1908 Ziegfeld Follies.
Promoting women's rights and the war effort, Nell Brinkely adapted her "Brinkley Girl" to a widely circulated drawing: "The Three Graces." It carried the caption, "Any man who loves and reveres his mother and his country should idolize, if he worships at all, the three graces Suffrage, Preparedness and Americanism."
Nell Brinkley was born in Denver Colorado in 1886. She was not formally trained in the arts, and dropped out of high school
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Nell Brinkley was along-time resident of New Rochelle and bought her first house here in 1911. She joined the ranks of a growing artists' colony and became a life-long member of the prestigious New Rochelle Art Association.
She married New Rochelle native Bruce McRae in 1920 and they settled in Beechmont at 56 Pryor Terrace. She died in October, 1944 at the age of 56 and is buried in Beechwood Cemetery.
Erected by City of New Rochelle, NY; New Rochelle Downtown Business District.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Civil Rights • Patriots & Patriotism • Women. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1944.
Location. 40° 54.617′ N, 73° 46.96′ W. Marker is
Regionally, this marker is in the Hudson Valley and in the New York City Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Jay Leno (here, next to this marker); Henry Heimlich (here, next to this marker); Lillian & Dorothy Gish (here, next to this marker); Reginald Marsh (here, next to this marker); Claire Trevor (here, next to this marker); Fritz Pollard (here, next to this marker); Mariano Rivera (here, next to this marker); Frederick Douglass Patterson (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Rochelle.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 20, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 170 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 20, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
