Model, Actress. In her heyday she was called "The American Venus." Born in Rochester, New York, Munson became the model of choice for sculptors and painters in New York City during the 1910s. She is also credited as the first leading lady to do nude scenes in American feature films, including "Inspiration" (1915) and "Purity" (1916). Munson worked with such noted sculptors as Daniel Chester French, Alexander Stirling Calder, and Karl Bitter, and her likeness can be seen at government buildings and in museums throughout the United States. Among the known sculptures she posed for are the figure atop the Capitol dome in Madison, Wisconsin, "Pomona, or Abundance" at the Pulitzer-Plaza Hotel Fountain, "Melvin Brothers Memorial" at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Massachussetts, "Brooklyn and Manhattan" at the Brooklyn Museum, "Maidenhood" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Duty and Sacrifice - Firemen's Memorial" and "South Carolina Women's Monument" in Columbia, South Carolina. In 1931 Munson was confined to the Ogdensburg Psychiatric Institution due to mental health issues. She spent the rest of her long life there, dying at the age of 104.
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https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/audrey-munson/
Famous model and actress Audrey Munson (1891-1996) is interred in this cemetery. She posed for many sculptures and civic monuments in New York City, as well as US coins. During her peak, she was described as "the Most Famous Art Model in the World", nicknamed, "Miss Manhattan" and can be seen on the US half dollar however due to the quick and tragic decline of her career her fame is often overlooked (The Sun, 8 Jun 1913).
Audrey Marie Munson was born on June 8, 1891 in Rochester, NY to parents Katherine and Edgar Munson (Descending Night, Elizabeth Donnelly, 2015). Within the first decade of her life her parents divorced and Munson moved with her mother to New York City. Munson claims her career began by "accident." Munson and her mother were walking down Broadway Street in New York City when a man approached her. He asked if she was a model and for her permission to take photos of her. Initially Munson was disturbed until she learned that he was a famous artist and photographer (The Sun). This photographer proceeded to introduce her to sculptor, Isidore Konti. From there Munson's career was born (New York Post, 5 Mar 2016).
Munson began as a figure model who posed for countless sculptors. In an article in The Sun it was stated that, "she has posed for more public decorative works than any one else" (The Sun). Sculptures of Munson can be seen nationally across the United States, however the majority of art featuring her were exhibited in New York City. Three Graces, Spirit of Commerce and Civic Fame are just a few of the many sculptures of her in the city. This popularity led to the nickname "Miss Manhattan" (The Sun). Further heightening her success, Munson was the model of choice for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 (Descending Night). Two of her most famous sculptures, Star Maiden and Descending Night, were created during the exposition.
In 1915 Munson launched her career in the silent film industry. She starred in a total of four films: Inspiration (1915), Purity (1916), The Girl o' Dreams (1918) and Heedless Moths (1921) (The Curse of Beauty, James Bone, 2016). She became the first woman in America to appear nude in a film in 1915 (The New York Times, 15 Apr 2016.). Munson was praised by local newspapers as being, "the transcendent embodiment of feminine grace and beauty" in her films (The Kingston Daily Freeman, 5 Dec 1916).
In 1919, Munson and her mother were living in a boarding house which belonged to a Dr. Walter Keene Wilkins. Wilkins fell in love with Munson, despite the fact that Munson and Wilkins were never involved socially or romantically (Vaudeville, 22 Oct 1920). Wilkins was subsequently convicted of murder of his wife and hung himself to escape the electric chair. This scandal damaged Munson's career and reputation and as a result she struggled to find employment. Munson lived with her mother.
Until her death at the age of 104, Munson resided at the St. Lawrence State Hospital in Ogdensburg, NY. She passed away on February 20, 1996 ("US Social Security Death Index," Family Search website, 2015). Her ashes were originally buried in an unmarked grave in the New Haven Cemetery in New Haven, NY at the foot of her father's grave (Letter from New Haven Rural Cemetery, Oswego County, NY Clerk's Office, 5 Feb 2016). On her 125th birthday, relatives installed a headstone of her own.
************************************************************
https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/audrey-munson/
Famous model and actress Audrey Munson (1891-1996) is interred in this cemetery. She posed for many sculptures and civic monuments in New York City, as well as US coins. During her peak, she was described as "the Most Famous Art Model in the World", nicknamed, "Miss Manhattan" and can be seen on the US half dollar however due to the quick and tragic decline of her career her fame is often overlooked (The Sun, 8 Jun 1913).
Audrey Marie Munson was born on June 8, 1891 in Rochester, NY to parents Katherine and Edgar Munson (Descending Night, Elizabeth Donnelly, 2015). Within the first decade of her life her parents divorced and Munson moved with her mother to New York City. Munson claims her career began by "accident." Munson and her mother were walking down Broadway Street in New York City when a man approached her. He asked if she was a model and for her permission to take photos of her. Initially Munson was disturbed until she learned that he was a famous artist and photographer (The Sun). This photographer proceeded to introduce her to sculptor, Isidore Konti. From there Munson's career was born (New York Post, 5 Mar 2016).
Munson began as a figure model who posed for countless sculptors. In an article in The Sun it was stated that, "she has posed for more public decorative works than any one else" (The Sun). Sculptures of Munson can be seen nationally across the United States, however the majority of art featuring her were exhibited in New York City. Three Graces, Spirit of Commerce and Civic Fame are just a few of the many sculptures of her in the city. This popularity led to the nickname "Miss Manhattan" (The Sun). Further heightening her success, Munson was the model of choice for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 (Descending Night). Two of her most famous sculptures, Star Maiden and Descending Night, were created during the exposition.
In 1915 Munson launched her career in the silent film industry. She starred in a total of four films: Inspiration (1915), Purity (1916), The Girl o' Dreams (1918) and Heedless Moths (1921) (The Curse of Beauty, James Bone, 2016). She became the first woman in America to appear nude in a film in 1915 (The New York Times, 15 Apr 2016.). Munson was praised by local newspapers as being, "the transcendent embodiment of feminine grace and beauty" in her films (The Kingston Daily Freeman, 5 Dec 1916).
In 1919, Munson and her mother were living in a boarding house which belonged to a Dr. Walter Keene Wilkins. Wilkins fell in love with Munson, despite the fact that Munson and Wilkins were never involved socially or romantically (Vaudeville, 22 Oct 1920). Wilkins was subsequently convicted of murder of his wife and hung himself to escape the electric chair. This scandal damaged Munson's career and reputation and as a result she struggled to find employment. Munson lived with her mother.
Until her death at the age of 104, Munson resided at the St. Lawrence State Hospital in Ogdensburg, NY. She passed away on February 20, 1996 ("US Social Security Death Index," Family Search website, 2015). Her ashes were originally buried in an unmarked grave in the New Haven Cemetery in New Haven, NY at the foot of her father's grave (Letter from New Haven Rural Cemetery, Oswego County, NY Clerk's Office, 5 Feb 2016). On her 125th birthday, relatives installed a headstone of her own.
Model, Actress. In her heyday she was called "The American Venus." Born in Rochester, New York, Munson became the model of choice for sculptors and painters in New York City during the 1910s. She is also credited as the first leading lady to do nude scenes in American feature films, including "Inspiration" (1915) and "Purity" (1916). Munson worked with such noted sculptors as Daniel Chester French, Alexander Stirling Calder, and Karl Bitter, and her likeness can be seen at government buildings and in museums throughout the United States. Among the known sculptures she posed for are the figure atop the Capitol dome in Madison, Wisconsin, "Pomona, or Abundance" at the Pulitzer-Plaza Hotel Fountain, "Melvin Brothers Memorial" at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Massachussetts, "Brooklyn and Manhattan" at the Brooklyn Museum, "Maidenhood" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Duty and Sacrifice - Firemen's Memorial" and "South Carolina Women's Monument" in Columbia, South Carolina. In 1931 Munson was confined to the Ogdensburg Psychiatric Institution due to mental health issues. She spent the rest of her long life there, dying at the age of 104.
************************************************************
https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/audrey-munson/
Famous model and actress Audrey Munson (1891-1996) is interred in this cemetery. She posed for many sculptures and civic monuments in New York City, as well as US coins. During her peak, she was described as "the Most Famous Art Model in the World", nicknamed, "Miss Manhattan" and can be seen on the US half dollar however due to the quick and tragic decline of her career her fame is often overlooked (The Sun, 8 Jun 1913).
Audrey Marie Munson was born on June 8, 1891 in Rochester, NY to parents Katherine and Edgar Munson (Descending Night, Elizabeth Donnelly, 2015). Within the first decade of her life her parents divorced and Munson moved with her mother to New York City. Munson claims her career began by "accident." Munson and her mother were walking down Broadway Street in New York City when a man approached her. He asked if she was a model and for her permission to take photos of her. Initially Munson was disturbed until she learned that he was a famous artist and photographer (The Sun). This photographer proceeded to introduce her to sculptor, Isidore Konti. From there Munson's career was born (New York Post, 5 Mar 2016).
Munson began as a figure model who posed for countless sculptors. In an article in The Sun it was stated that, "she has posed for more public decorative works than any one else" (The Sun). Sculptures of Munson can be seen nationally across the United States, however the majority of art featuring her were exhibited in New York City. Three Graces, Spirit of Commerce and Civic Fame are just a few of the many sculptures of her in the city. This popularity led to the nickname "Miss Manhattan" (The Sun). Further heightening her success, Munson was the model of choice for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 (Descending Night). Two of her most famous sculptures, Star Maiden and Descending Night, were created during the exposition.
In 1915 Munson launched her career in the silent film industry. She starred in a total of four films: Inspiration (1915), Purity (1916), The Girl o' Dreams (1918) and Heedless Moths (1921) (The Curse of Beauty, James Bone, 2016). She became the first woman in America to appear nude in a film in 1915 (The New York Times, 15 Apr 2016.). Munson was praised by local newspapers as being, "the transcendent embodiment of feminine grace and beauty" in her films (The Kingston Daily Freeman, 5 Dec 1916).
In 1919, Munson and her mother were living in a boarding house which belonged to a Dr. Walter Keene Wilkins. Wilkins fell in love with Munson, despite the fact that Munson and Wilkins were never involved socially or romantically (Vaudeville, 22 Oct 1920). Wilkins was subsequently convicted of murder of his wife and hung himself to escape the electric chair. This scandal damaged Munson's career and reputation and as a result she struggled to find employment. Munson lived with her mother.
Until her death at the age of 104, Munson resided at the St. Lawrence State Hospital in Ogdensburg, NY. She passed away on February 20, 1996 ("US Social Security Death Index," Family Search website, 2015). Her ashes were originally buried in an unmarked grave in the New Haven Cemetery in New Haven, NY at the foot of her father's grave (Letter from New Haven Rural Cemetery, Oswego County, NY Clerk's Office, 5 Feb 2016). On her 125th birthday, relatives installed a headstone of her own.
************************************************************
https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/audrey-munson/
Famous model and actress Audrey Munson (1891-1996) is interred in this cemetery. She posed for many sculptures and civic monuments in New York City, as well as US coins. During her peak, she was described as "the Most Famous Art Model in the World", nicknamed, "Miss Manhattan" and can be seen on the US half dollar however due to the quick and tragic decline of her career her fame is often overlooked (The Sun, 8 Jun 1913).
Audrey Marie Munson was born on June 8, 1891 in Rochester, NY to parents Katherine and Edgar Munson (Descending Night, Elizabeth Donnelly, 2015). Within the first decade of her life her parents divorced and Munson moved with her mother to New York City. Munson claims her career began by "accident." Munson and her mother were walking down Broadway Street in New York City when a man approached her. He asked if she was a model and for her permission to take photos of her. Initially Munson was disturbed until she learned that he was a famous artist and photographer (The Sun). This photographer proceeded to introduce her to sculptor, Isidore Konti. From there Munson's career was born (New York Post, 5 Mar 2016).
Munson began as a figure model who posed for countless sculptors. In an article in The Sun it was stated that, "she has posed for more public decorative works than any one else" (The Sun). Sculptures of Munson can be seen nationally across the United States, however the majority of art featuring her were exhibited in New York City. Three Graces, Spirit of Commerce and Civic Fame are just a few of the many sculptures of her in the city. This popularity led to the nickname "Miss Manhattan" (The Sun). Further heightening her success, Munson was the model of choice for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 (Descending Night). Two of her most famous sculptures, Star Maiden and Descending Night, were created during the exposition.
In 1915 Munson launched her career in the silent film industry. She starred in a total of four films: Inspiration (1915), Purity (1916), The Girl o' Dreams (1918) and Heedless Moths (1921) (The Curse of Beauty, James Bone, 2016). She became the first woman in America to appear nude in a film in 1915 (The New York Times, 15 Apr 2016.). Munson was praised by local newspapers as being, "the transcendent embodiment of feminine grace and beauty" in her films (The Kingston Daily Freeman, 5 Dec 1916).
In 1919, Munson and her mother were living in a boarding house which belonged to a Dr. Walter Keene Wilkins. Wilkins fell in love with Munson, despite the fact that Munson and Wilkins were never involved socially or romantically (Vaudeville, 22 Oct 1920). Wilkins was subsequently convicted of murder of his wife and hung himself to escape the electric chair. This scandal damaged Munson's career and reputation and as a result she struggled to find employment. Munson lived with her mother.
Until her death at the age of 104, Munson resided at the St. Lawrence State Hospital in Ogdensburg, NY. She passed away on February 20, 1996 ("US Social Security Death Index," Family Search website, 2015). Her ashes were originally buried in an unmarked grave in the New Haven Cemetery in New Haven, NY at the foot of her father's grave (Letter from New Haven Rural Cemetery, Oswego County, NY Clerk's Office, 5 Feb 2016). On her 125th birthday, relatives installed a headstone of her own.
Bio by: José L Bernabé Tronchoni
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