Souvenir photo program titled Phyllis Diller Loves You! published c. 1965. The 21-page program includes Diller’s life story, family lore, recipes for home cooking, and information about how she designed her costumes. NMAH also has in its collection the cloche style turquoise blue felt hat she is wearing in the photograph on the inside cover (Catalog Number 2003.0289.13).

Phyllis Diller (1917-2012) began her comedy career in the 1950s at the age of 37 and broke barriers in the comedy world to become the first solo female comic to be a household name. She developed a stage persona of an incompetent housewife and dressed in outlandish outfits with wild hair. Her material focused on self-deprecating jokes that tackled the idealized image of American mothers and homemakers. She also created many mythical personas for her stage act including her “husband” Fang, her “neighbor” Mrs. Clean, and her “mother-in-law” Moby Dick.