Mark Twain once identified five kinds of actresses: "bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses -- and then there is Sarah Bernhardt." Bernhardt was, an acting sensation. Born in 1844, she developed one of the Western world’s first cults of personality, and was arguably one its first celebrities.
She played all the great Shakespearian heroes (including most notably Hamlet) and she worked well ito her old age, playing 19-year-old Joan of Arc when she was 46. Bernhardt understood that notoriety and ubiquity enhanced celebrity. She posed for many artists, ensuring that her image would be seen all around the world in paintings, sculptures, photographs, and graphic designs, most notably Alphonse Mucha’s iconic Art Nouveau posters. She kept a coffin in her bedroom, and on at least one occasion, slept in it and posed for photographs. Throughout World War I, she performed for soldiers, even though her leg had been amputated during an on-stage accident.
Bernhardt exuded eccentricity and creative indulgence. Her exotic pet collection was said to include a boa constrictor, lion, parrot, a puma, two horses, a monkey named Darwin and an alligator named Ali Gaga whom she served milk and champagne. Bernhardt also spent outrageous sums of money and wore a hat with a stuffed bat on it.
Over the course of her life, Sarah turned many more co-stars into lovers. She was also muse to many, including Oscar Wilde. She evolved from muse to maker, developing her talents in writing, painting, and sculpture . In 2017, a white marble relief of Ophelia made and signed by Bernhardt sold at auction for $385,444
