Farrah Fawcett’s famous Red Swimsuit donated to Smithsonian

JimMan

February 2nd, 2011 at 2:40 pm -

From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History press department:

In a special ceremony today, February 2nd which was actress Farrah Fawcett’s birthday, nephew, Greg Walls, and actor Ryan O’Neal donated objects from the private collection of her estate to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The donation includes the red swimsuit from her iconic 1976 poster, an original copy of the swimsuit poster, her personal Charlie’s Angels script book, a Farrah Fawcett swimsuit jigsaw puzzle, a “Farrah Phenomenon” 1976 edition of TV Guide, a Charlie’s Angels 1976 edition of Time magazine, an original 1977 Farrah Fawcett doll and a “Farrah’s Glamour Center” hairstyling doll; the objects will be a part of the museum’s Division of Culture and the Arts and will go on display this summer.

The poster featuring Fawcett in a red bathing suit was shot before her debut on Charlie’s Angels in September 1976. The photo was shot by freelance photographer Bruce McBroom with Fawcett working without a stylist, doing her own hair and make-up. The Indian blanket backdrop was a last-minute addition that McBroom grabbed from the front seat of his car. Fawcett ultimately selected which shot would be used for the poster and owned the copyright.

By March 1977, the poster had sold 5 million copies, today that number has reached more than 12 million. The image, which catapulted Fawcett to superstardom, showed her as girl-next-door innocence combined with a blonde bombshell allure.