Century Girl: 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies

Lauren Redniss, acclaimed author of the brilliant biography-in-collage Radioactive, delivers a stunning visual journey through the life of the last Ziegfeld girl, Doris Eaton Travis. Now in paperback for the first time, Century Girl spans the brightest moments in early show business, the major historical landmarks of the 20th century, and the intimate milestones of one woman’s long life. Incorporating hundreds of archival photos and personal clippings with inventive line drawings and a compelling, hand-written narrative, Century Girl is a more than a biography, more than a graphic novel, and more than an art book—it is a singularly original and major work of art that Slate magazine calls “a visually dazzling mélange . . . unlike anything . . . ever seen before” (Best Books of 2006).
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The Ziegfeld Follies, Florenz Ziegfeld's stage spectaculars, 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.

Doris Eaton Travis was the last living Ziegfeld girl. In her 106 years, she 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. In 2010, she performed on Broadway, returned home to Detroit and two weeks later peacefully passed away. Century Girl is a visual tour of this extraordinary woman's journey through life.

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“Striking and unique. . . captivating readers by twining simple, evocative text with a stunning array of images.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Lauren Redniss takes a graphically provocative approach in telling [Doris Eaton Travis’s] story.” - Daily News

“With vibrant illustrations, photos, newspaper clippings and interviews, Redniss details how Eaton, now 103, and her six brothers and sisters found fame and fortune on turn-of-the-century Broadway and, later, in Hollywood. By the time you reach the last page. . . there won’t be a dry eye in the house.” - Chicago Social

“This lush, visually alluring book would make a great gift. . . . picking it up and flipping through the pages, one sees new details, artistically and historically, at each glance.” - Dance Magazine

“Not only did Doris Eaton Travis break records for accomplishment and humanity, she also had great hair and shoes.” - Isaac Mizrahi

“My favorite new book this year. . . a visually dazzling melange. . . unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.” - Slate (best books of 2006 pick)

“The opposite of a page-turner: it’s a page-stopper, a page-savorer, in short: an unmitigated delight.” - Lawrence Weschler, author of Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder and Everything that Rises: A Book of Convergences

“Doris Eaton is the darling of Broadway, a New York treasure.” - Nils Hanson, National Ziegfeld Club

“I wish Lauren Redniss would write and illustrate my biography in the dreamy, luminous way she did Doris Eaton Travis’s.” - Maira Kalman, author and illustrator

“With Century Girl, Lauren Redniss creates an entirely new genre of biography.” - Nylon magazine