Annemarie Margot Elfreda "Sunny" Harnett (1924 – May 1987) was an American

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the Plan_(drawing), plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a mea ...

, actress, and casting director. She can be found in fashion magazines throughout the 1950s — including frequently on the cover of ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' — and was often a model of choice by photographer

Edgar de Evia Edgar Domingo Evia y Joutard, known professionally as Edgar de Evia (July 30, 1910 – February 10, 2003), was a Mexican-born American interiors photographer. In a career that spanned the 1940s through the 1990s, his photography appeared in maga ...

. ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'' ranks her as one of the 26 greatest models of all time. After becoming an assistant to

Eileen Ford Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín and may refer to: People Artists *Eileen Agar (1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer *Eileen Fisher (born 1950), clothing retailer and designer *Eileen ...

Ford Models Ford Models, originally the Ford Modeling Agency, is an American international modeling agency based in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen Ford and her husband Gerard W. Ford. Company Ford Models was started in 1946 by Eileen ...

, she soon quit modeling. Harnett allegedly turned down the chance to represent

Naomi Sims Naomi Ruth Sims (March 30, 1948 – August 1, 2009) was an American model, businesswoman, and author, She was the first African-American model to appear on the cover of ''Ladies' Home Journal'', which occurred in November 1968, and is widely cr ...

, who eventually became the first African-American supermodel, because Ford had "too many" black models already. At some point, Harnett gained weight and underwent a mastectomy.Gross, p. 145 Due to health concerns, she was later placed in a home for long-term care. According to fellow 1950s Ford model Betsy Pickering, Gerard W. ″Jerry″ Ford, founder of Ford Models, hospitalized Harnett for mental illness. Harnett died from injuries sustained in a fire at the home in May 1987 when she was 63. She was also an actress and appeared in the film ''

Funny Face ''Funny Face'' is a 1957 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and written by Leonard Gershe, containing assorted songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Although having the same title as the 1927 Broadway musical ''Funny F ...

'' (1957). An ash blonde, she was a favorite model of photographer

Richard Avedon Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Vogue'' and ''Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and danc ...

, who served as a thinly veiled model for

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

′s character of Dick Avery in ''Funny Face''. Avedon snapped one of the most famous photos of Harnett, in which, clad in an evening gown by Grès, she peers at a roulette wheel in a casino in Le Touquet, France. That iconic August 1954 photograph fetched $35,000 when

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

auctioned it in October 2012.

Filmography

(1957)

References

External links

Richard Avedon′s August 1954 photograph
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harnett, Sunny Female models from New York (state) 1924 births 1987 deaths American film actresses Actresses from New York City Deaths from fire in the United States People from Brooklyn 20th-century American actresses