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Bismarck, Mona von, 1897-1983 (1897-1983)

 Person

Staff Only

Dates

  • Existence: 1897-1983

Biography

Mona von Bismarck was born Edmona Travis Strader in Louisville in 1897. Much of her fortune came from her ex-husbands. Her third husband, Harrison Williams (1873–1953), was one of the richest men in the U.S. in the 1920s. Mona used her husbands' wealth to keep up with the latest fashions. French designers named her the "Most Fashionable Woman in the World" in 1933. Mona Travis Strader Williams was the muse of Cristóbal Balenciaga. After losing much of her wardrobe in a train accident, she famously ordered 150 pieces from Balenciaga. Salvador Dalí painted her in 1943. Her title "von Bismarck" came from her fourth husband, Count Edward von Bismarck, when the two married in 1955. In 1958, Bismarck was named to Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed Hall of Fame. Mona von Bismarck passed away in 1983.

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

Symposium records, 2007

 folder
Identifier: SC.FITA.3.10.1.2.5
Scope and Contents Includes the advertising flyer, schedule of events, papers, and presentations delivered at the 2007 Symposium "Focus on Fashion Journalism" which occurred on Saturday, May 12, 2007. Thirteen graduate students from the Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice graduate program delivered presentations. Each presenter's paper and presentation is represented. Laird Borelli delivered the keynote address, but her presentation is not included in the files. The names of the...
Dates: 2007
Found in: Special Collections and FIT Archive / Academic Affairs records / School of Graduate Studies records / Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice records / Symposia records

Williams, Mrs. Harrison

 folder
Identifier: SC.214.7.43
Scope and Contents

This folder contains 8x10" black and white photograph of Mrs. Bryon C. Foy and Mrs. Harrison Williams, as labeled en verso. Stamped en verso "Photo by/ Edward Ozern/ 620 Lexington Ave., N.Y./Plaza 9-4339" and a 3x4" glass negative of an image inside an envelope with Eleanor Lambert's return address, labeled "Photo-Plate of Mrs. Harrison Williams."

Dates: 1933-2003
Found in: Special Collections and FIT Archive / Eleanor Lambert collection, 1942-2003 / Photographs and documents, 1993-1998

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