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Primary sourcePhotograph1889

Nellie Bly, The New York Correspondent

1889

Another copy of the famous 1889 publicity photograph of Nellie Bly in her travelling coat, taken for her round-the-world trip.

A widely reproduced publicity photo of Bly made to promote her famous round-the-world race.

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Black-and-white studio portrait of a woman standing in a checked wool coat with large buttons, a cap on her head, and a crocodile-skin travel bag in her right hand. A painted backdrop of foliage and a patterned carpet surround her. Printed title above reads Nellie Bly; caption below describes her trip around the earth in 72 days, 6 hours, and 11 minutes.
Nellie Bly, publicity photograph for her around-the-world voyage, 1889.

About this source

What it is

This photograph shows Nellie Bly in a checked coat and cap holding a travel bag, made as publicity for her 1889 trip around the world. The printed caption states she completed the journey in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes.

Why it matters

This image was widely circulated by the New York World to turn Bly's journey into a public event followed across the country. It shows how a newspaper could build a reporter into a celebrity through image as well as words.

Look closer

  • What details in the photo and caption suggest this was designed for publicity rather than a private portrait?
  • Why might the newspaper emphasize the exact length of her trip?
  • What does the studio backdrop hide about where she actually traveled?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Nellie Bly on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Front cover of a red leather-bound book with ornate gold tooling. Gold text reads 'Jules Verne, Le Tour du Monde en 80 Jours, Illustré' inside a central oval medallion, with decorative Greek key borders and floral roundels.Book

Secondary source

Around the World in Eighty Days

Jules Verne · 1872

Front cover of the book 'Ten Days in a Mad-House' by Nellie Bly. Decorative border with vines and a price label reading 'Price 25 Cents' at top. Title in large capitals in a framed panel, with 'by Nellie Bly' signature in script at bottom, above a wreath-like ornament with flowers.Book

Primary source

Ten Days in a Mad-House

Nellie Bly · 1887

Sepia studio portrait of a woman in a long checked coat and a striped cap, holding a dark handbag, standing before a painted garden backdrop with a tiled floor.Photograph

Primary source

Nellie Bly, Journalist

1889

Front cover of the Official Program for the Woman Suffrage Procession, Washington, March 3, 1913. A painted illustration shows a woman on a white horse blowing a trumpet and carrying a purple banner reading 'Votes for Women', with the Capitol dome at right and two women walking behind. Text reads 'Official Program, Woman Suffrage, Procession, Washington D.C. March 3, 1913'.Document

Primary source

Official Program, Woman Suffrage Procession, Washington, March 3, 1913

National American Woman Suffrage Association · 3 March 1913

Black-and-white photograph of a woman standing in a full-length checked coat over a dark dress, raising a hat in one hand and holding a handbag in the other. A Library of Congress copyright stamp reading 'Feb 21 1890' appears at the bottom.Photograph

Primary source

Nellie Bly Bids Farewell

1889–1890

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