NYC's first supermodel who inspired statues and sculptures across the city ended her days in an asylum after a heartbreaking fall from grace

New York's first supermodel whose 'perfect' features inspired statues and sculptures across the city, ended her days in an asylum. 

At the peak of her career in the 1910s, Audrey Munson earned the headline 'All New York Bows to the Real Miss Manhattan' but her stratospheric rise ended in tragedy after she became embroiled in a homicide, reported the New York Post. 

But the black-haired beauty's memory endures, as one contemporary account concluded she 'posed for more public works than anyone'.

The breathtakingly beautiful Audrey Munson (pictured) rose to fame after being spotted walking down Broadway aged just 15. She later starred in Inspiration (pictured) the first non-pornographic film to show nudity 

Munson (left and right) quickly became an in-demand figure model after being introduced to artist Isidore Konti. She was known as the 'perfect model'

Her face and body formed the basis for the Civic Frame statue that stands atop the Municipal Building at 1 Centre Street, while her likeness can be seen above the door of the Frick museum as well as outside New York Public Library's main branch.

She inspired the figure of Columbia that adorns the USS Maine National Monument in Columbus Circle as well as the  'Spirit of Commerce' angel at the northern base of the Manhattan Bridge.

And her delicate features form the face of Pomona, the Roman goddess of abundance, on the Pulitzer Fountain at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Diane Rozas, co-author of American Venus: The Extraordinary Life of Audrey Munson, Model and Muse told the Post: 'She was the first supermodel — and the first model to have a standing in society.'

Born in Rochester in 1891, Munson's parents divorced when she was young, after which she and her mother moved to Manhattan.

She inspired countless statues across New York, including on top of Maine Monument near Central Park, Manhattan (pictured) 

At the height of her career Munson (left) was earning large sums of money, which she spent 'like water', according to her estranged father. Her fame even stretched beyond New York and she was the inspiration for 'Colonnade of Stars,' Court of the Universe building, San Francisco

Her career began when she was discovered walking down Broadway aged 15, and approached by a photographer who asked to take her picture, while another account says Munson was hit by a car carrying a sculptor who then took a liking to her.

She quickly became an in-demand figure model after being introduced to artist Isidore Konti, and while many jobs required nudity, neither her or mother - both hard-up - objected. 

Munson then landed an acting contract and she stripped down for the 1915 silent movie Inspiration, the first time nudity was shown in a non-pornographic film.

At this time, she was earning large sums of money, said the account, which she spent 'like water', according to her estranged father.

Munson's (right) 'perfect' features formed the likeness of  the Autumn sculpture by Furio Piccirilli 

And her figure can be seen draped across the Isidor and Ida Straus Memorial statue by Augustus Lukeman in New York

But in 1919, her glamorous world caved in after she became embroiled in a sensational murder trial involving her former landlord, Dr Walter Keene Wilkins.

The doctor had been arrested for killing his wife after it emerged that he had become obsessed with Munson and was desperate to wed her. 

He was found guilty and sentenced to death, while Munson's reputation lay in tatters. 

The disgraced model moved to Mexico town, New York where her mother was reduced to selling silverware door to door to earn their keep. 

And although Munson had begun to act again - under the name Baroness Audrey Meri Munson-Monson - in 1922, she tried to commit suicide using bichloride pills.

But nine years later, she was committed to an asylum in Ogdensburg, New York, where she lived until her death in 1996, aged 61.

She was buried in an unmarked grave, forgotten. 

But in 1919, Munson's (right) glamorous world caved in after she became embroiled in a sensational murder trial involving her former landlord, Dr Walter Keene Wilkins. Left: The model as the Mourning Victory  Melvin Brothers memorial by Daniel Chester French

Munson was also the model for Adolph Alexander Weinman's The Setting Sun, created for the Panama Pacific International Exposition and featured on the cover of Sunset magazine in October 1915