“How little the public realizes what a girl must go through before she finally appears before the spotlight that is thrown upon the stage.”
— Florenz Ziegfeld
Adrienne Ames As a model, Adrienne Ames came to the notice of Flo Ziegfeld. She acted on the stage, movies, and radio, and created her own line of fashion through Sears stores. However, she became better known as a wild socialite. Streetswing

Adrienne Ames
As a model, Adrienne Ames came to the notice of Flo Ziegfeld. She acted on the stage, movies, and radio, and created her own line of fashion through Sears stores. However, she became better known as a wild socialite.
Streetswing.com states that “due to her bout with cancer of the hip, she was probably trying to live her life to the fullest.” She died of that cancer at the age of 39. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

6"H x 6"W

Acrylic on wood cradleboard

$60

Allyn King If you let the dimensions of any part of your figure vary more than one-half inch from the following, weight 115 pounds, neck 12-1/2 inches, bust 34 inches, upper arm 11, lower arm 7-1/2, waist 26, hips 34, thigh 18, calf 12, ankle 8-1

Allyn King
If you let the dimensions of any part of your figure vary more than one-half inch from the following, weight 115 pounds, neck 12-1/2 inches, bust 34 inches, upper arm 11, lower arm 7-1/2, waist 26, hips 34, thigh 18, calf 12, ankle 8-1/2, then and in the event we shall have the right to cancel this contract upon giving you one week's notice. (Source: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allyn_King)
This was Ziegfeld Girl Allyn King's contract. Her story is the saddest that I've read. She tried to maintain her weight until she almost died from her eating disorder plus diet pills.
She was checked into a sanatorium for two years. Soon after her release, she committed suicide by jumping out a fifth floor window. She died in 1927 - and this crazy expectation is STILL being imposed on women.

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[SOLD]

Anna Held She was born in present-day Poland of Jewish parents. However, in 1881, they were forced to flee Paris because of anti-semitic pogroms. Later, Anna converted to Catholicism. Florenz Ziegfeld saw her perform in London and convinced he

Anna Held
She was born in present-day Poland of Jewish parents. However, in 1881, they were forced to flee Paris because of anti-semitic pogroms. Later, Anna converted to Catholicism.
Florenz Ziegfeld saw her perform in London and convinced her to move with him to America where they entered into a common-law marriage. To achieve a tiny waist, she had her lower ribs surgically removed - a common practice at the time. In 1907, she and Ziegfeld created what became known as the Ziegfeld Follies, a yearly production like the Parisian revues or what the revues that Las Vega became known for.
The Ziegfeld Girls were a chorus of girls who wore glittery, feathered costumes and basically were there to look pretty while the stars (like W.C. Fields, Josephine Baker, and Fanny Brice) performed. They were the "frame" for the show. Two years later, Ziegfeld left her for Lillian Lorraine, another Ziegfeld Girl.
She died of plasma cell cancer in 1918.

6"H x 6"W

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$60

Doris Eaton Doris Eaton was 14 years old when she joined The Follies in 1918. She was not only a dancer in the show; she also assisted the director. She got around underage work laws by changing her name for the next two years until, at age 16,

Doris Eaton
Doris Eaton was 14 years old when she joined The Follies in 1918. She was not only a dancer in the show; she also assisted the director. She got around underage work laws by changing her name for the next two years until, at age 16, she could safely use her real name.
She appeared in films during the 1920s and 1930s where, in one film, she premiered the song “Singing in the Rain” (which became its own movie with Gene Kelly).
She died in 2010 at the ripe old age of 106. As the last surviving Ziegfeld Girl, Broadway honored her by dimming its lights.

6"H x 6"W

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$60

Gilda Gray Ziegfeld Girl Gilda Gray was the original "shimmy" girl. When she sang and danced, she would shake her shoulders so her chemise would show. She was born in Poland, and, when asked about her shoulder moves, she said in her Polish accen

Gilda Gray
Ziegfeld Girl Gilda Gray was the original "shimmy" girl. When she sang and danced, she would shake her shoulders so her chemise would show. She was born in Poland, and, when asked about her shoulder moves, she said in her Polish accent that she was shaking her "shimee" (chemise).

6"H x 6"W

Acrylic on wood cradleboard
$60

Jean Ackerman Jean Ackerman was with The Follies for only three years from 1927 to 1930. Still, she was called “The World’s Most Beautiful Brunette” by the tabloids. Upon her marriage to the heir of the General Cigar Company, she became a New Y

Jean Ackerman
Jean Ackerman was with The Follies for only three years from 1927 to 1930. Still, she was called “The World’s Most Beautiful Brunette” by the tabloids. Upon her marriage to the heir of the General Cigar Company, she became a New York socialite.

6"H x 6"W

Acrylic on wood cradleboard
$60

Justine Johnstone In school, everyone expected that Justine Johnstone would go into the arts. She acted, sang, and danced. She performed on stage from 1917-1926 - until her producer/husband became ill in 1927. She developed a friendship with his

Justine Johnstone
In school, everyone expected that Justine Johnstone would go into the arts. She acted, sang, and danced. She performed on stage from 1917-1926 - until her producer/husband became ill in 1927. She developed a friendship with his doctor, who encouraged her to take science classes at Columbia University. She impressed the head of Columbia's Science department so much that he hired her as a research assistant.
She conducted research that led to the cure for syphilis. She co-wrote two papers that led to medical advancements we still use today: the intravenous (I.V.) system and the procedure for resuscitation. Just like the actress Hedy Lamarr, who developed and patented the system that we now use with Bluetooth, Justine was a woman who developed the future.

6"H x 6"W

Acrylic on wood cradleboard
$60

Louise Brooks Louise Brooks epitomized "The Flapper" of the 1920s and much happened to her during that decade. Her hairstyle was copied by everyone. In 1925, she acted in her first silent movie, but she walked out on Paramount four years later w

Louise Brooks
Louise Brooks epitomized "The Flapper" of the 1920s and much happened to her during that decade. Her hairstyle was copied by everyone.
In 1925, she acted in her first silent movie, but she walked out on Paramount four years later when they did not give a promised salary raise to her. She traveled to Germany where she played a lesbian in the silent movie "Pandora's Box" which made her famous. (Many thought she was a lesbian in real life.)
In 1982, she published her memoir, Lulu in Hollywood.

6"H x 6"W

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Mae Murray Mae Murray was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips." During the silent movie era, many women, including Murray, were producers with their own film production company. However, as with many silent film stars, she couldn’t make

Mae Murray
Mae Murray was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips." During the silent movie era, many women, including Murray, were producers with their own film production company.
However, as with many silent film stars, she couldn’t make the move to the “talkies”. On top of that, on the advice of her then-husband/manager, she walked out on her MGM contract - something that you DID NOT do to Louis B. Mayer. In fact, Mayer blacklisted her in Hollywood. Yet that did not stop Hollywood from memorializing her on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

6"H x 6"W

Acrylic on wood cradleboard
$60

Myrna Darby Myrna Darby was one of the iconic Ziegfeld Girls of the 1920s. She was discovered by Ziegfeld at age 17. She was considered one of the most beautiful of the Ziegfeld Girls and was known as thoughtful and sweet. It is said that she di

Myrna Darby
Myrna Darby was one of the iconic Ziegfeld Girls of the 1920s. She was discovered by Ziegfeld at age 17. She was considered one of the most beautiful of the Ziegfeld Girls and was known as thoughtful and sweet.
It is said that she died at age 21 from a broken heart after her marriage engagement was called off. However, she actually died from inflammation of the heart after a day of "sunburn and strenuous exercise". (www.streetswing.com)

6"H x 6"W

Acrylic on wood cradleboard

[SOLD]

Peggy Fears After appearing in the Ziegfeld Follies four times, Ziegfeld Girl Peggy Fears married a millionaire. Using his money, she produced Broadway shows. After her divorce in the early '30s, she moved to Fire Island, where she joined the A

Peggy Fears
After appearing in the Ziegfeld Follies four times, Ziegfeld Girl Peggy Fears married a millionaire. Using his money, she produced Broadway shows.
After her divorce in the early '30s, she moved to Fire Island, where she joined the Arts Project of Cherry Grove - "the nation's first gay summer theater in America's first gay town" (Carl Luss). It was there that she came out as a lesbian and opened, along with her partner, a resort called the Fire Island Yacht Club and Hotel, and thus supported the gay activism that followed in the '60s and '70s.
In 1971, when Hal Prince produced Stephen Sondheim's "Follies", she was listed as a Technical Adviser.

6"H x 6"W

Acrylic on wood cradleboard

$60

Peggy Shannon After performing in The Follies, Peggy Shannon was groomed to be the next "It Girl" of 1931 (replacing Clara Bow who had experienced a nervous breakdown.) She endured grueling 16-hr workdays, sometimes working on two films in one

Peggy Shannon
After performing in The Follies, Peggy Shannon was groomed to be the next "It Girl" of 1931 (replacing Clara Bow who had experienced a nervous breakdown.)
She endured grueling 16-hr workdays, sometimes working on two films in one day. It's no wonder that she became an alcoholic, which ended her acting career. She died in 1941, of an alcohol-related heart attack, seated at her kitchen table. A month later, her husband killed himself in the same kitchen chair because he could not live without her.

6"H x 6"W

Acrylic on wood cradleboard

[SOLD] $60

Susan Fleming Susan Fleming was called "The Girl with the Million Dollar Legs", named after the movie in which she played W.C. Fields’ daughter. In 1936, she ended her film career (which she hated) when she was married to Harpo Marx of the Marx

Susan Fleming Susan Fleming was called "The Girl with the Million Dollar Legs", named after the movie in which she played W.C. Fields’ daughter.
In 1936, she ended her film career (which she hated) when she was married to Harpo Marx of the Marx Brothers. (They dated for four years, during which she proposed to him three times!)

6"H x 6"W

Acrylic on wood cradleboard

$60

Virginia Biddle Virginia Biddle performed with The Follies until 1931. In that year, she and fellow Ziegfeld Girl Helen Walsh went for a sailing trip on entertainer Harry Richman's yacht. During the ride, the yacht exploded, burning Virginia's f

Virginia Biddle
Virginia Biddle performed with The Follies until 1931. In that year, she and fellow Ziegfeld Girl Helen Walsh went for a sailing trip on entertainer Harry Richman's yacht. During the ride, the yacht exploded, burning Virginia's feet and ankles and killing Helen.
This accident forced Virginia to retire from show business. She sued Richman but instead of receiving the $50,000 damages as requested, she was given only $50.

6"H x 6"W

Acrylic on wood cradleboard

$60

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