A striking photograph took up one entire page of LIFE magazine in May 1947.
Robert Wiles, a photography student, took the picture, which showed a suicide victim lying in a car with the metal crumpling around her.
She had landed with her ankles crossed, her necklace in her white-gloved hand, and her face calm, as though she were sleeping. Evelyn McHale’s picture gained notoriety and was dubbed “The Most Beautiful Suicide” because of it.
A Well-Known Picture
The image is disturbing in a number of ways.
Her youth and what may have led her to this point may strike some people as striking.
Others may imagine what it would have been like to collide with a United Nations limousine and cause such a dent in the roof. Additionally, the scene’s seeming romanticization of such a horrifying incident may disturb others.
We don’t know anything about McHale or why she committed suicide. The majority of people know her from the picture of her death, and her suicide note is ambiguous.
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From the Empire State Building, leaping
There was another heartbreaking reason why McHale’s death made history. She was the 12th person to jump from the Empire State Building’s 86th-floor observation deck and kill themselves since the deck was finished in 1931. She was the only one, though, to make it to the street; the others were stopped by obstacles around the building.
Officials attempted, but failed, to discourage jumpers by installing a 10-foot-wide wire mesh three weeks prior to her suicide.
Wiles heard the crash on the street outside the building and ran to see where it came from. It was only four minutes after his death that he took the picture. McHale’s body was chosen as LIFE Magazine’s “Picture of the Week” on May 12, 1947. McHale’s corpse was seen all around the world, despite her final wish that no one would see her when she was away.
Evelyn McHale was who?
McHale was born on September 20, 1923 in Berkeley, California. She was the second youngest of seven children and was said to have had a difficult upbringing. Their father’s work required them to move around a lot, and McHale’s mother is said to have struggled with severe depression, which contributed to the couple’s eventual divorce. When they separated in 1940, the father was given custody.
Before joining the Women’s Army Corps, Evelyn McHale completed her high school education at St. Louis. She worked as an operator of office machines and after leaving the service she allegedly destroyed her uniform. She then moved to Long Island’s Baldwin. She worked as an accountant in Manhattan and lived there with her brother and sister-in-law.
Read more: 28-year-old Dutch woman with autism dies in assisted suicide at home after sharing her latest post.
“She was happy and normal like any girl about to get married.
She met her fiancé, Barry Rhodes, at a New Year’s Eve party in 1945. He was also in the army and started working as an engineer. In June 1947, they were going to get married at Barry’s brother’s house. But McHale died just a month before their wedding.
McHale visited Rhodes on April 30, 1947, the day before she committed suicide. He later said that when he sent her to the station the next morning, she seemed fine. However, she expressed concern about their union. “She often expressed concern that she was not a good wife,” Rhodes reported, “[but] when I kissed her goodbye, she was as happy and normal as any girl about to be married.”
Evelyn McHale’s note on suicide
May 1, 1947. McHale arrived in New York around nine in the morning. She used stationery from the Governor Clinton Hotel to write the suicide note. She also bought a ticket to the Empire State observation deck. After removing her coat, she hung it over the railing. Then she jumped up.
St. The Louis Star and Times published her remark. It said: I don’t want any part of me to be seen by anyone, including those outside my family. Could you cremate my body? I am asking you and my family to remember me and do me no favors. (Her use of the following sentences was inappropriate.) In June, my fiancé proposed to me. I doubt anyone would find me a decent wife. He is much more comfortable without me. Tell my father I have too many of my mother’s traits, she concluded.
Her family cremated her remains and skipped a funeral in accordance with her last wishes.
Nevertheless, her suicide became one of the most famous images in history and was seen by the whole world.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or use their 24/7 Lifeline Crisis Chat.
The tragic story of Evelyn McHale remains a poignant reminder of the silent struggles that individuals can face, even if they appear content or normal on the outside. Her death, captured in a haunting photograph by Robert Wiles, became an iconic image that shocked the world but also immortalized a young woman whose life was filled with deep personal turmoil. The stark nature of the photograph – where McHale’s body lay motionless, her pose almost graceful – contrasted starkly with the brutal reality of her suicide. This dichotomy between beauty and tragedy stirred emotions in viewers, leading some to romanticize the image, while others tried to reconcile the public image with the real pain that led to such a devastating act.
While McHale’s personal life and the reasons that led to her decision to end her life remain shrouded in mystery, her suicide note reveals glimpses of her inner conflict and self-doubt.
The note, written just before her jump from the Empire State Building, expressed feelings of inadequacy and fear of disappointing her fiancé, as well as a desire for anonymity in death. Her wish for privacy was severely violated as the photograph of her death became a permanent symbol of the fragility of life.
McHale’s story underscores the importance of understanding mental health issues and the need for empathy. Although her life ended tragically, her story continues to serve as a reminder of the silent battles many face, often unnoticed. Those struggling with thoughts of self-harm can get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is one of many resources available to people in crisis that offer support and hope in times of despair.