IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Artist
Edward McCartan, 16 Aug 1879 - 20 Sep 1947
Sitter
Helen Wills Moody, 6 Oct 1905 - 1 Jan 1998
Date
1936
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Terra cotta
Dimensions
With Base: 42.5 x 16.5 x 21cm (16 3/4 x 6 1/2 x 8 1/4")
Base: 14.9 x 15.2cm (5 7/8 x 6")
Topic
Helen Wills Moody: Visual Arts\Artist
Helen Wills Moody: Female
Helen Wills Moody: Sports and Recreation\Athlete\Tennis
Helen Wills Moody: Literature\Writer\Sports writer
Helen Wills Moody: Olympic medal
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.99.3
Exhibition Label
Born Centerville, California
Playing with a steely determination that earned her the nickname “Little Miss Poker Face,” tennis great Helen Wills Moody became the first American woman to achieve international fame as an athlete. Only seventeen when she won her first American singles championship in 1923, Moody dominated women’s tennis for more than a decade and elevated the sport to a new competitive level with her hard-hitting style of play. Between 1927 and 1933 she won 180 consecutive matches without dropping so much as a single set, and by the time she retired in 1938, Moody had collected thirty-one Grand Slam tennis titles.
