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HomeExploreCelebritiesGolden Age Hollywood Studio Portraits
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A red satin dress, a halo of silver stars, and a face picked out by a single light. These original publicity portraits show how Hollywood photographers shaped a star’s image, from Clara Bow’s early talkies to the studio portraits of the 1950s. Look for the lighting, poses, and costumes that make each face instantly recognizable.

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1
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe: Sam Shaw photographed Monroe in a red dress for the 1953 comedy How to Marry a Millionaire. The satin…
2
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn: Bud Fraker photographed Hepburn for Roman Holiday in 1953. Her short fringe frames her face above a pale…
3
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo: MGM photographer Clarence Sinclair Bull made this publicity portrait for Ninotchka in 1939. The close framing…
4
Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr: This MGM publicity portrait was made for Ziegfeld Girl in 1941. Lamarr’s dark hair and elaborate showgirl…
5
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart: Elmer Fryer’s portrait frames Bogart under a dark fedora and a patterned overcoat. The low brim casts a…
6
Bette Davis
Bette Davis: This publicity photograph was made for Fashions of 1934. Davis looks straight at the lens, with her tightly…
7
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich: Paramount issued this portrait in 1936. Dietrich wears a striped scarf and sharply tailored jacket, with…
8
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth: Columbia used this publicity portrait for Down to Earth, the 1947 musical in which Hayworth plays the Greek…
9
Clark Gable
Clark Gable: This 1945 publicity photograph frames Gable in a light suit and patterned tie. His narrow mustache and…
10
Cary Grant
Cary Grant: Columbia’s publicity portrait for Only Angels Have Wings dates to 1939. Grant appears as Geoff Carter, the…
11
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn: This studio publicity photograph gives Hepburn’s upturned face almost the full frame. The lighting makes…
12
Judy Garland
Judy Garland: MGM photographer Eric Carpenter made this publicity portrait for The Harvey Girls, released in 1946. Garland…
13
Lena Horne
Lena Horne: MGM used this portrait to promote Meet Me in Las Vegas in 1956. Horne appears in the film as herself and sings…
14
Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong: Paramount distributed this portrait around 1935. Wong looks to the side, while strong light catches her…
15
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman: László Willinger made this portrait in 1939, the year Bergman appeared in her first Hollywood film…
16
James Stewart
James Stewart: Eric Carpenter photographed Stewart for MGM in 1940. He poses with a model airplane on a workbench, a change…
17
Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland: This studio portrait was made for the 1940 Western Santa Fe Trail. De Havilland plays Kit Carson…
18
Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn: This publicity portrait was circulated in 1936, a year after Captain Blood made Flynn a Hollywood star. His…
19
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall: László Willinger photographed Bacall in 1946. Her lowered chin and gaze from under her brow recall the pose…
20
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire: This Columbia publicity portrait promoted You’ll Never Get Rich in 1941. Astaire plays a theater…
21
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers: Photographer John Miehle made this portrait of Rogers, whose dance partnership with Fred Astaire helped…

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