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