Theda Bara is often referenced as the first sex symbol, or the first celebrity to have an entire persona crafted by a PR team. Photos of her are synonymous with the word vamp, and 100 years later, still have a certain mysterious appeal. But what was she really like?

Research:
“Theda Bara at Quimby’s.” The Times Recorded. Oct. 26, 1915. https://www.newspapers.com/image/284870168/?terms=%22theda%20bara%22%20%22Louella%20parsons%22&match=1
“Gordon Theater.” Democrat and Chronicle. Jan. 10, 1915. https://www.newspapers.com/image/135289009/?terms=%22theda%20bara%22&match=1
“An Interviewer Sees Theda Bara, the Mysterious.” Waco Morning News. Nov. 5, 1915. https://www.newspapers.com/image/43896475/?terms=%22theda%20bara%22&match=1
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Theda Bara". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theda-Bara
Wasserman, Suzanne. “Theda Bara.” Jewish Women’s Archive. The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/bara-theda
Golden, Eve. “Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara.” Vestal Press. 1998.

Theda Bara is often referenced as the first sex symbol, or the first celebrity to have an entire persona crafted by a PR team. Photos of her are synonymous with the word vamp, and 100 years later, still have a certain mysterious appeal. But what was she really like?
Research:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;Theda Bara at Quimby&rsquo;s.&rdquo; The Times Recorded. Oct. 26, 1915. https://www.newspapers.com/image/284870168/?terms=%22theda%20bara%22%20%22Louella%20parsons%22&amp;match=1</li>
<li>&ldquo;Gordon Theater.&rdquo; Democrat and Chronicle. Jan. 10, 1915. https://www.newspapers.com/image/135289009/?terms=%22theda%20bara%22&amp;match=1</li>
<li>&ldquo;An Interviewer Sees Theda Bara, the Mysterious.&rdquo; Waco Morning News. Nov. 5, 1915. https://www.newspapers.com/image/43896475/?terms=%22theda%20bara%22&amp;match=1</li>
<li>Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Theda Bara".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theda-Bara</li>
<li>Wasserman, Suzanne. &ldquo;Theda Bara.&rdquo; Jewish Women&rsquo;s Archive. The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/bara-theda</li>
<li>Golden, Eve. &ldquo;Vamp: The Rise and Fall of Theda Bara.&rdquo; Vestal Press. 1998.</li>
</ul>

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Theda Bara is often referenced as the first sex symbol, or the first celebrity to have an entire persona crafted by a PR team. Photos of her are synonymous with the word vamp, and 100 years later, still have a certain mysterious appeal. But what was she really like?

The Invention of Theda Bara

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