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Annemarie Margot Elfreda "Sunny" Harnett (1924 – May 1987) was an American model, actress,[1] and casting director.[2] She can be found in fashion magazines throughout the 1950s, including frequently on the cover of Vogue, and was often a model of choice by photographer Edgar de Evia. Harper's Bazaar ranks her as one of the 26 greatest models of all time.[3]
Sunny Harnett | |
|---|---|
 Harnett photographed in the 1950s by Edgar de Evia | |
| Born | Annemarie Margot Elfreda Harnett 1924 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 1987 (aged 63) |
| Children | 1 |
After becoming an assistant to Eileen Ford of Ford Models, she soon quit modeling. Harnett allegedly turned down the chance to represent Naomi Sims, who eventually became the first African-American supermodel, because Ford had "too many" black models already.[4]
At some point, Harnett gained weight and underwent a mastectomy.[5] Due to health concerns, she was later placed in a home for long-term care. According to fellow 1950s Ford model Betsy Pickering, Gerard W. ″Jerry″ Ford, founder of Ford Models, hospitalized Harnett for mental illness.[5] Harnett died from injuries sustained in a fire at the home in May 1987 when she was 63.[5]
She was also an actress and appeared in the film Funny Face (1957). An ash blonde, she was a favorite model of photographer Richard Avedon, who served as a thinly veiled model for Fred Astaire′s character of Dick Avery in Funny Face.[3][6] Avedon snapped one of the most famous photos of Harnett, in which, clad in an evening gown by Grès, she peers at a roulette wheel in a casino in Le Touquet, France.[7] That iconic August 1954 photograph fetched $35,000 when Christie's auctioned it in October 2012.[7]
Filmography
edit- Funny Face (1957)
References
edit- ^ Castle, Charles (1977), Model girl, Chartwell Books, p. 88, ISBN 978-0-89009-129-6
- ^ Harrison, Norma (9 April 1973). "That Model is Now a Casting Director". The New York Times.
- ^ a b "Best Models of All Time". Harper's Bazaar. 23 March 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- ^ Gross, Michael (2011). Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women. HarperCollins. p. 235.
- ^ a b c Gross, p. 145
- ^ Grundberg, Andy (1 October 2004). "Richard Avedon, the Eye of Fashion, Dies at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Sale 2586, Lot 135". Christie's. Retrieved 28 February 2013.