WASHINGTON — The red swimsuit worn by the late “Charlie’s Angels” actress Farrah Fawcett in an iconic 1976 poster will go on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, it was announced Wednesday.
Fawcett posed for the photo before her debut on the TV show that brought her to fame. The image, which has sold over 12 million copies, captures her “girl-next-door innocence combined with a blonde bombshell allure,” the museum said in a statement.
A collection of items that belonged to Fawcett, who died of cancer in June 2009 at age 62, was donated by her nephew, Greg Walls, and her long-term partner Ryan O’Neal to be part of the museum’s Division of Culture and the Arts. They will go on display this summer.
The collection also includes an original copy of the 1976 swimsuit poster, a script book, a Farrah Fawcett swimsuit jigsaw puzzle, a “Farrah Phenomenon” 1976 edition of TV Guide, a Charlie’s Angels 1976 edition of Time magazine, an original 1977 Farrah Fawcett doll and a “Farrah’s Glamour Center” hairstyling doll.
“It’s an honor to see Farrah’s famous red bathing suit donated to the Smithsonian Institution, celebrating her place in pop culture,” said O’Neal, 69, in the statement.
“The swimsuit is exactly where it belongs, and I know Farrah is looking down on us today flashing that big smile that we all loved,” he added.