ragtime

Musical accompaniment: There’ll Be Some Changes Made performed by Kathy Brier.

Evelyn Nesbit was once believed to be the most beautiful woman in the world. One of the most famous murders in history was committed for love of her. She’s immortalized in photographs, news stories, and even fiction—in the book Ragtime, Mother’s Younger Brother was obsessed with Evelyn and had a brief affair with her.

One of the most remarkable things about Evelyn (at least in my opinion) is that, like many other beautiful women, every major event in her life was connected to her beauty. But unlike the beautiful women who followed her, like Louise Brooks, Jean Harlow, or Marilyn Monroe, her looks changed dramatically over time. It seems normal to want to freeze in time how you looked when you were at your best but Evelyn didn’t seem to have any such preservational goal in mind. She’s almost completely unrecognizable from one year to the next. Everyone ages and changes but the differences were rapid and dramatic in Evelyn’s case. I noticed this again recently when I found a photograph of her that looked very different from any I’ve seen. Unmistakably it is her though.

If I had ever been the most beautiful woman in the world, I would be like the ladies in Death Becomes Her, or looking into being cryogenically frozen next to Walt Disney. Bravo for Evelyn! Really. It shows confidence and curiosity to meet the world anew, as you are. (There’s also the not insignificant possibility you look better now than you did before. Many people look better as they age.)

Despite her beauty and courage, Evelyn had a difficult time looking for a place to really fit into the world throughout her lifetime. It’s difficult for people who have been notorious for one reason or another. They can start over but not in the same ways most of us can.

Here are a few of Evelyn Nesbit’s changing looks over time.