Nellie Bly · Pioneering Investigative Journalist
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Bold and unwavering in pursuit of the truth. Nellie Bly (1864-1922) feigned a nervous illness in order to go undercover in a psychiatric clinic (then called a "lunatic asylum"). 1889: around the world in 72 days – a sensation!
In 1887, Bly fought her way into a job at the New York World, Joseph Pulitzer's leading newspaper. Her first assignment: to infiltrate the notorious Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island. Under the pseudonym "Nellie Brown", she feigned mental illness before several doctors and a judge – and was committed. Her editor's instruction was almost ironic: she should stop smiling, so as not to give herself away. For ten days she endured the brutal conditions. Her report "Ten Days in a Mad-House" made her famous, led to an investigation of the clinic, and secured considerably greater funding for the care of the mentally ill. Bly is regarded as a pioneer of modern investigative journalism.
| Motive: | Portrait |
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| Technique & Materials: | Ink drawing on paper |
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