Annette Kellermann, Australian Professional Swimmer

Annette Marie Sarah Kellermann (July 6, 1887 - November 6, 1975) was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville star, film actress and writer. Kellermann was one of the first women to wear a one-piece bathing costume, instead of the then-accepted pantaloons, and inspired others to follow her example. Kellerman's swimming costumes became so popular, that she started her own fashion line of one-piece bathing suits. Kellermann helped popularize the sport of synchronized swimming after her 1907 performance of the first water ballet in a glass tank at the New York Hippodrome. She appeared in several movies, usually with aquatic themes, and as the star of A Daughter of the Gods was the first major actress to appear nude in a Hollywood production. Like many of Kellermann's other films, this is now considered a lost film as no copies are known to exist. Kellermann wrote several books including How to Swim (1918), Physical Beauty: How to Keep It (1919), a book of children's stories titled Fairy Tales of the South Seas (1926), and My Story, an unpublished autobiography. Kellermann was an advocate of health, fitness, and natural beauty throughout her life. She died in 1975 at the age of 88. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered in the Great Barrier Reef. Bain News Service, March 13, 1919

Restrictions Only for Ireland and United Kingdom

Annette Apparel Bain Ensemble Garb Garment Kellermann Kickass Sportswear Swimmer Swimwear Synchronized Vaudeville Vaudevillian Wardrobe

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