Mary Pickford, a Blessing and a Curse

Silent era actress Mary Pickford was first-generation Hollywood royalty. In addition to being one of the first screen superstars (in an era when performers were seldom credited), she leveraged her popularity to become an influential producer and was one of the founding members of United Artists, alongside Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, and Douglas Fairbanks. A Blessing and a Curse examines the ways Pickford balanced her public identity as "America's Sweetheart" while less visibly shaping the growth of the American film industry.