The glamor of becoming a supermodel, has long captivated many a young girls' dreams. The fame, the money, the attention, what's not to like? And yet, there is a dark side to the model's life, and in certain cases it has ended really, really badly. Living in squalor in an asylum-level of badly. Such was the fate of America’s first supermodel, Audrey Munson.
Though you might not know her name, you've probably seen her face. Audrey became the muse of many sculptors in the United States, whose works are displayed all over the country, especially in New York. How on earth did the most sought-after model become a forgotten woman who spent most of her life locked up and alone? Let's dive into the harrowing tale of her life and find out...
Her Parents’ Divorce Traumatized Her
Katherine "Kittie" Mahaney gave birth to Audrey in Rochester, New York, on June 8, 1891. Audrey’s father was Edgar Munson. However, only eight years after her birth, her parents decided to go their separate ways. She went to Rhode Island with her mother, and her father was mostly absent in her life.
It is unknown how much her parents’ separation affected Audrey, but her mother's influence throughout her life was definitely instrumental as Kittie became involved in most of the decisions that determined her success and decline. As Audrey grew up, Kittie noticed how beautiful her daughter was.
She Moved To New York To Reach For The Stars
To seek their fame and fortune, Audrey and her mother, Kittie, did what most young ladies do: they went to New York City. It is unclear if Audrey was always interested in pursuing an acting career there or if Kittie pushed her in that direction.
Either way, both of them moved there so Audrey could go to auditions. She was only 17 years old when she started looking for a job as a chorus girl. It wasn’t easy, but she began landing small parts long before her failures caused any kind of anxiety.
She Tried To Make A Break In Broadway But Didn't Succeed
Most actors have to play very small roles before they can even dream of stardom, and Audrey was no exception. She actually started as a footman in the play The Boy And The Girl, and the rest of her Broadway roles were far from glamorous as well.
Audrey had equally small parts in plays like Girlies and The Girl And The Wizard. However, Audrey’s big moment was approaching, and it had nothing to do with the stage. A casual outing with her mother to buy new clothes would change her life forever.
The Fateful Shopping Trip
As Audrey was browsing in stores with her mother, she was spotted by Felix Benedict Herzog, who made his living behind the lens of a camera. When the photographer saw her elongated bone structure and unique facial features, he asked her to pose for him.
While they were at his studio in the Lincoln Arcade Building, Felix realized Audrey was a natural, posing effortlessly for him. He then introduced her to some of his artist friends, one of whom was sculptor Isidore Konti. But Isidore would only work with her on one condition.
A Scandalous Requirement To Create A Sculpture
Isidore explained that as a sculptor he preferred his models to not wear any clothes while they posed for him. In early twentieth-century society, this was not a common request at all. However, he convincingly argued that his interest was only in art, not in Audrey.
Her mother, Kittie, believed Isidore, so she gave the green light for Audrey to pose in her birthday suit. This decision launched Audrey into celebrity status as word of her quickly spread among the artists. Soon, many of them wanted her to pose for them.
She Became Known As Miss Manhattan
Every artist with a studio was clamoring for a chance to portray Audrey. She was very talented, but she was also smart about her work, seeking to be part of the creative process. Furthermore, she would take the time to study the artist’s previous work.
In this way, Audrey approached every project with an idea of what the artist was looking for. She quickly earned the epithet Miss Manhattan because sculptures inspired by her were displayed all over New York City, and thus she became the first supermodel. Later, she would acquire another famous nickname.
And Inspired Most Sculptures In The Panama-Pacific International Exposition
Becoming a muse for famous sculptors made Audrey into a legend. When she first caught the eye of Alexander Stirling Calder, she had no idea he would be responsible for expanding her legacy even further as the Director of Sculpture for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
Audrey inspired around 90 of the sculptures displayed during the exposition, after which she was dubbed the Panama-Pacific Girl. Her star was shining brighter than ever when she decided to pursue the dream that brought her to New York in the first place: appearing on the silver screen.
Her First Movie Showcased Her Beauty
When Audrey debuted as a movie star, the film industry was just getting started, and silent movies were all the rage. Although Audrey’s talent as an actress was questionable, she was given a starring role in a full movie about a sculptor looking for the perfect muse.
The producers of the film, called Inspiration, simply hired other leading ladies to do most of the acting so Audrey could focus on what she did best: posing. Unfortunately, experts believe that every copy of the film has been lost. This was the first of only four movies in which she appeared.
She Had Incredible Fame, But No Fortune
Audrey may have been a sought-after muse, but she received a minimal paycheck for each posing assignment. Even for the film Inspiration, in which she became the first leading lady to appear wearing nothing, she was paid only $450, a tiny amount even in those days.
Audrey and her mother, Kittie, had little financial knowledge, simply counting on her continued success to make ends meet. As a result, she was never rich despite her celebrity status. Her low income and lack of savings during these years would later cost her dearly.
Her Acting Career Never Really Took Off
Audrey decided to move to Santa Barbara, California, in the hope of becoming an established movie star. There she starred in her second film, titled Purity, and had another role in the film The Girl O’ Dreams, which was never released. Her films were commercial successes, but critics didn't like her performances.
It appeared that Audrey was much better at posing than at acting, so she decided to go back to New York after a couple of years and hang out with the people there who had the highest amounts of money to spend. Unfortunately, her time with them would soon end.
Only A Single Film Of Hers Survived
Purity was the only film in which Audrey starred that survived through the years. The last copy of it was found in a collection of adult entertainment films, though it wasn't originally classified as such. When her American films weren't well received, Audrey declared that she would leave to continue her acting career in England.
Despite her intentions, however, Audrey never left the United States, moving to a boarding house in Manhattan with her mother instead. This decision brought dire consequences to both of them that they couldn’t possibly have foreseen. It all started with a rumored love affair and ended with a crime that tainted their reputation forever.
A Rumored Romance Ended With A Confusing Letter
Audrey was said to have received a marriage proposal in 1917 that not many women would reject even today. Apparently, Herman Oelrichs Jr., the richest bachelor in the United States, asked her to spend the rest of her life with him, but she wouldn't agree to the engagement.
Furthermore, Audrey later sent a letter to the U.S. State Department in which she made some serious accusations about Herman being involved in pro-German activities during the Great War. According to her, he was also sabotaging her films. This incident might have been the first sign of her mental illness.
Her Landlord Killed His Wife So He Could Marry Her
Walter Wilkins, the doctor who owned the boarding house where Audrey lived with her mother, Kittie, fell madly in love with her. Investigators were unable to determine if Audrey had reciprocated these feelings or if there had been any sort of relationship between the two.
Walter’s obsession was undeniable, especially after he decided to eliminate any obstacles between him and Audrey, which tragically included his wife. When he killed her, Audrey and Kittie fled from the house. The police found and questioned them, but they weren’t accused of any crimes.
Murder And Changing Times Ended Her Modeling Career
At a time when reputation was everything, the scandal surrounding her landlord gravely damaged Audrey’s reputation, which probably resulted in artists no longer wanting to work with her. But even without this misfortune, her modeling days were coming to an end as art trends shifted.
Modernism became the new dominant art form in 1920, and Audrey's work was seen as outdated. In this environment, she found it much harder to get a job as a model. It also didn't help that she had interpersonal problems with influential people. Thus, her career ended when she was only 30 years old.
She Went From Glory To Collecting Tickets
After being the muse of New York's most prominent artists, Audrey had to find a regular job. Unfortunately, she hadn’t learned any skills during her modeling years that could help her in any other job, though she was said to eventually work as a ticket-taker at a museum.
Audrey's mother would get a slightly better paycheck by selling kitchen utensils door to door. During this time, Audrey supposedly wrote articles for Hearst’s Sunday Magazine in which she reflected on her career. Later, people discovered that Henry Leyford was the actual author of these pieces.
She Tried To Take Her Own Life
The drastic change in lifestyle was too much for Audrey. She started calling herself Baroness Audrey Meri Munson-Munson and showing other signs of mental illness. In 1922, she decided she couldn't stand it anymore and unsuccessfully attempted to kill herself by taking mercury bichloride pills.
After this attempt, reports describe Audrey’s behavior as erratic. Throughout this time, her mother, Kittie, took care of her, but by 1931 she was fed up with her daughter's antics. Kittie petitioned a court to have Audrey admitted to an asylum, and the judge approved.
Her Final Home Was A Mental Asylum
When she was only in her early 40s, Audrey entered what would become her final home. The state of New York sent her to the St. Lawrence State Hospital for the Insane, where the medical staff diagnosed her with schizophrenia. According to some reports, she continued to believe she was a celebrity.
In one of the articles published under Audrey's name, the author asked what happens to the muses behind the beautiful sculptures that so many people stop to admire. In her case, she was relegated to decades of abandonment and oblivion. After entering the asylum, she was never free again.
She Received No Visitors For Over 50 Years
Reportedly, Kittie never visited her daughter in the asylum. None of Audrey's former friends during her time as a celebrity ever stopped by to see how she was doing, either. It was a time when mental health was a taboo subject and entering an asylum meant becoming a social pariah.
In 1984, Audrey’s half-niece, named Darlene Bradley, started doing some research on her. Finally, she found her aunt and visited her in the asylum. Darlene was Audrey's first visitor in over 50 years. At the time, Audrey was 93 years old. It is unclear if the visits continued.
The Asylum Tried To Get Rid Of Her
According to some reports, the asylum needed more empty beds during the last years of Audrey's life, so they tried to relocate her. After 60 years of living in the same place, she was moved to a nursing home. These kinds of problems are still present in American elder care.
However, Audrey was sent back to the asylum after a while. She may have been unable to adapt to a change of environment after so much time. The asylum was said to have attempted to move her again when she was 104 years old, but she passed away before they could.
She Lived A Long, Unhappy Life
For many people, living to be 104 years old is a dream come true. They imagine how many experiences and good times they could have and getting to spend quality time with their children and watch their grandchildren grow up if they remain in good enough health.
But for Audrey, this was far from the case. She led a heavily medicated existence without any friends or family, and little else is known about how she spent her last decades. We can only hope that she was at least able to reminisce about her glorious days as the first American supermodel.
Her Tragic Story Was Put In Print
Like many other men, author James Bone fell in love with Audrey, or rather with Audrey’s story long after her death. After seeing her image all over New York City, James decided to learn more about this beautiful woman. What he found surprised but also inspired him.
The fruits of James' labor are found in his book The Curse Of Beauty, in which he told Audrey’s tragic story. He observed that just as she was the first supermodel, she was also the first Hollywood flame-out, a phenomenon that is not uncommon even to this day.
Her Life Is The Quintessential Cautionary Tale
Many people think that all their problems would be solved if they went to New York, were discovered by a talent scout, and achieved great fame. However, there are far more failures than success stories, and Audrey was one of the first of many failures.
We often see celebrities that are adored by the public only to be forgotten a few years later. They might even go into bankruptcy despite having appeared on magazine covers and made millions just a short time ago. Audrey’s tragic example is something people should consider in their search for glory.
Her Name Is Forgotten, But Her Face Is Immortal
We can see Audrey’s face and figure throughout New York City. One of the most iconic sculptures, the second largest in New York after the Statue of Liberty, is located on top of the municipal building, holding a crown. Other works are no less significant.
Audrey also appears at the Pulitzer Fountain outside the iconic Plaza Hotel, and Maine Monument in Columbus Circle bears her image as well. We’ll find her in the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Museum, and the arch of the Manhattan Bridge. Her immortal form still stands even though everyone has forgotten her name.