Joan Crawford

Joan Crawford (March 23, 1904 – May 10, 1977), born Lucille Fay LeSueur, American actress in classic film, television and theatre. Original, vintage, 8 x 10 inch, glossy, studio portrait photograph by acclaimed glamour/art deco pioneer photographer George Hurrell. From the film "No More Ladies," M.G.M., 1935.

Starting as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting as a chorine (a chorus girl) on Broadway, Crawford signed a motion picture contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. Initially frustrated by the size and quality of her parts, Crawford began a campaign of self-publicity and became nationally known as a flapper by the end of the 1920s. In the 1930s, Crawford's fame rivaled, and later outlasted, MGM colleagues Norma Shearerand Greta Garbo. Crawford often played hardworking young women who find romance and success. These "rags-to-riches" stories were well received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women. In the 1930's Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid women in the United States. She was voted the tenth greatest female star in the history of American cinema by the American Film Institute.

In the late 1920s, Hurrell was introduced to the actor Ramon Novarro, by Pancho Barnes, and agreed to take a series of photographs of him. Novarro was impressed with the results and showed them to the actress Norma Shearer, who was attempting to mold her wholesome image into something more glamorous and sophisticated in an attempt to land the title role in the movie "The Divorcee." She asked Hurrell to photograph her in poses more provocative than her fans had seen before. After she showed these photographs to her husband, MGM production chief Irving Thalberg, Thalberg was so impressed that he signed Hurrell to a contract with MGM Studios, making him head of the portrait photography department. But in 1932, Hurrell left MGM after differences with their publicity head, and from then on until 1938 ran his own studio at 8706 Sunset Boulevard.

This vintage, original glossy photograph, measures approximately 8 x 10 inches and is in very good condition with slight signs of age wear to its edges and corners. Its verso bears original Hurrell/M.G.M. photo credit stamp, affixed promotional snipe and hand written negative number and date of 6/17/35.