Doris Doscher (January 24, 1882 – March 9, 1970) was an American actress and model who appeared in the movie '' The Birth of a Race'' (1915), playing the role of "Eve." She posed as Liberty for the

Standing Liberty quarter The Standing Liberty quarter is a 25-cent coin that was struck by the United States Mint from 1916 to 1930. It succeeded the Barber quarter, which had been minted since 1892. Featuring the goddess of Liberty on one side and an eagle in flight o ...

(1916–1930) by Hermon Atkins MacNeil. She was also the model for the

Pulitzer Fountain Pulitzer may refer to: *Joseph Pulitzer, a 20th century media magnate *Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award *Pulitzer (surname) * Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain *Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-pro ...

of Abundance by Karl Bitter (completed by

Isidore Konti Isidore Konti (July 9, 1862 – January 11, 1938) was a Vienna-born (of Hungarian parents) sculptor. He began formal art studies at the age of 16 when he entered the Imperial Academy in Vienna, where he studied under Edmund von Hellmer.''Colle ...

and Karl Gruppe in 1915) in front of the

Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Career

Doscher was a silent film actress who later acted under the name Doris Doree. Doscher wed Dr. H. William Baum, a physical therapist, who had offices at 130 West

42nd Street (Manhattan) 42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, spanning the entire breadth of Midtown Manhattan, from Turtle Bay at the East River, to Hell's Kitchen at the Hudson River on the West Side. The street ...

. When she was chosen by MacNeil to pose for the quarter, she exemplified the ''highest type of American womanhood.'' After her career as a professional model, she worked as a newspaper columnist and a radio broadcaster. Beginning in the late 1920s, Doscher wrote a daily column on health and beauty for the ''

New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publi ...

''.Kline, J.H. ''Standing Liberty Quarters''. Zyrus Press, 2007. p. 76. She lectured for years on similar topics.

Later years and death

In 1966 Doscher joined

mayor John Lindsay in a ceremony to rename a

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...

park after MacNeil. She served as president of the women's auxiliary of the American Naturopathic Association. Doscher died at a Farmington, New York nursing home in 1970, at the age of 88. Her residence had been 10-27 147th Street,

Whitestone, New York Whitestone is a residential neighborhood in the northernmost part of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood proper is located between the East River to the north; College Point and Whitestone Expressway to the west; Flushing and ...

. She was survived by her husband, a daughter, and seven grandchildren."Mrs. H. William Baum, Model For Liberty Quarter, Dies At 88," ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', March 13, 1970, p. 39. In 1972, however, two years after her death, newspapers reported that the actual model was Broadway actress Irene MacDowell, then aged 92 (she died the following year) whose name was said to have been concealed because her husband (one of MacNeil's tennis partners) disapproved. In an article in the December 2003 edition of ''

The Numismatist ''The Numismatist'' (formerly ''Numismatist'') is the monthly publication of the American Numismatic Association. ''The Numismatist'' contains articles written on such topics as coins, tokens, medals, paper money, and stock certificates. All mem ...

'', Timothy B. Benford Jr. suggests that the supposed deception was to fool MacNeil's wife, who saw MacDowell as a potential romantic rival. In 1982, however, Doscher's widower stated that despite the MacDowell claim, his wife had posed for the quarter.

References

Works cited

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External links

*
A History of Doris Doscher as the Model for the Standing Liberty QuarterDoris Baum on ''I've Got a Secret
'' April 4, 1966.">I've Got a Secret">Doris Baum on ''I've Got a Secret
'' April 4, 1966. {{DEFAULTSORT:Doscher, Doris 1882 births 1970 deaths American artists' models American silent film actresses 20th-century American actresses