We acknowledge Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and give respect to their Elders, past and present.

Read our Statement of Reflection

Your Cart

Your cart is empty right now...

Discover what's on
Your Stuff
Lists
No lists found
Create list
List name
0 Saved items
Updated: a few seconds ago
Getting Started
Get started with Your Stuff

A free Your Stuff account allows you to save, list and share your favourite collection items and articles. This account will give you access to Your Stuff, NFSA Player and Pro. You will need to create an additional account for Canberra event tickets.

Confirm
Skip to main content
National Film and Sound Archive of AustraliaNational Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive

Perfect woman label 'ghastly': Annette Kellerman

1974

Perfect woman label 'ghastly': Annette Kellerman

1974

    Looking back over her career, Annette Kellerman describes the perfect woman label she received at 26-years-old as 'the most ghastly thing in the world'.

    This excerpt from an oral history interview with Joel Greenberg in 1974, when Kellerman was 88 years old, is presented with footage of Kellerman as a mermaid in Neptune's Daughter (Herbert Brenon, USA, 1914).

    The label followed her around for the rest of her career, with publicity material for Neptune's Daughter declaring she had ‘measurements that almost surpass belief’.

    The cover image is taken from a scrapbook compiled by New Zealand actor Vera James Snaps From Screenland. As we can see from these images Kellerman, including one of her referencing The Birth of Venus (Sandro Botticelli, Italy, 1486) in a lost scene from A Daughter of the Gods (Herbert Brenon, USA, 1916), Kellerman was often compared with figures from the western art and cultural canon.

    A poster for A Daughter of the Gods (Herbert Brenon, USA, 1916) included a chart comparing Kellerman's physical measurements with (what must be the estimated measurements) of Cleopatra and Venus.

    Looking back over her career, Annette Kellerman describes the perfect woman label she received at 26-years-old as 'the most ghastly thing in the world'.

    This excerpt from an oral history interview with Joel Greenberg in 1974, when Kellerman was 88 years old, is presented with footage of Kellerman as a mermaid in Neptune's Daughter (Herbert Brenon, USA, 1914).

    The label followed her around for the rest of her career, with publicity material for Neptune's Daughter declaring she had ‘measurements that almost surpass belief’.

    The cover image is taken from a scrapbook compiled by New Zealand actor Vera James Snaps From Screenland. As we can see from these images Kellerman, including one of her referencing The Birth of Venus (Sandro Botticelli, Italy, 1486) in a lost scene from A Daughter of the Gods (Herbert Brenon, USA, 1916), Kellerman was often compared with figures from the western art and cultural canon.

    A poster for A Daughter of the Gods (Herbert Brenon, USA, 1916) included a chart comparing Kellerman's physical measurements with (what must be the estimated measurements) of Cleopatra and Venus.

      Industry professional? Go Pro

      Need to license this item? A/V professionals and researchers can shortlist licensing enquiries via our NFSA Pro catalogue search and membership.

      Get started with PRO

      Collections to explore

      More in Stories+

      Personalized your experience

      Save, create and share

      With NFSA Your Stuff