It was Sarah Bernhardt, born in Paris in 1844, as well known in her lifetime as Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe or Lady Gaga in hers. World-famous actress Charlotte Cushman is once again in the spotlight and her costumes will be showcased at a new Smithsonian exhibition. They founded the NAR, in part, to discover and celebrate the new American art that already deserved attention, but also to help shape and inform the future of American art with this hybrid vision in mind. It was during the height of his fame that Jackie, through his fame, was recognized as a potentially powerful and effective defender of philanthropic causes.
Recognizing the effectiveness of celebrity support in mobilizing the general public for humanitarian causes, the NER reached out to the Coogans for permission to recruit Jackie as part of an innovative fundraising strategy. While many of us will identify with the girl's disappointment, the story is full of irony and represents the forgotten legacy of Hollywood's first “humanitarian celebrity”.
