Ginevra King
| Ginevra King | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
November 30, 1898 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 13, 1980 (aged 82) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Westover School |
| Occupation | Socialite |
| Spouse(s) | William Mitchell (m. 1918–1937) |
| Children | 3 |
Ginevra King (November 30, 1898-December 13, 1980) was an American socialite and debutante and was the inspirational muse for several characters in the novels and short stories of American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald.
King was born in Chicago in 1898, the daughter of Ginevra Fuller and Charles Garfield King. She, like her mother and her grandmother, was named after Leonardo da Vinci's painting Ginevra de' Benci. Her father was a wealthy Chicago businessman and financier. She had two younger sisters, Marjorie and Barbara. Ginevra grew up amid the Chicago social scene, as a member of the elite "Big Four" Chicago debutantes during World War I. She attended the Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut.
Ginevra first met Fitzgerald on January 4, 1915, while visiting her roommate from Westover, Marie Hersey, in St. Paul, Minnesota. They met at a sledding party and, according to letters and diary entries, they both immediately became infatuated. They sent letters back and forth for months, and their passionate romance continued until January 1917. According to Fitzgerald biographer Andrew Mizner, Fitzgerald "remained devoted to Ginevra as long as she would allow him to", and she would become his inspiration for the character of Isabelle Borgé, Amory Blaine's first love in This Side of Paradise, for Daisy in The Great Gatsby, and several other characters in his novels and short stories. In August 1916, Fitzgerald wrote in his ledger words possibly said to him by Ginevra's father: "Poor boys shouldn't think of marrying rich girls." This line was picked up and used in the 1974 film production of The Great Gatsby.
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