I’ve been discovering a lot of previously overlooked shots that are quickly becoming favorites; this one taken by Ted Allan for Suzy (1936) is so impossibly beautiful. The tenderness of her face and the composition of the image remind me almost of a pre-Raphaelite beauty. ⁣

⁣Another thing that makes this image special is she isn’t even dressed up; this dress is from her personal wardrobe, and she wore it frequently throughout 1934.

⁣Harlean was very comfortable with herself and I see that quality portrayed here. Especially in this era where she was coming into her own, reverting back to her natural hair and nabbing more powerful roles. However, the photographer noted her depression during this point.⁣

⁣“[…] I realized then that she needed something personal, that feeling of being liked. It made her feel secure,” Ted Allan reveals in Bombshell by David Stenn, “She could fall into poses like nobody’s business […] and after a couple of drinks, she’d get in the mood and enjoy it.” ⁣

⁣Stenn notes that Harlow hadn’t needed liquor to do so in the past. Professionally, she was coming out on top, but personally, she was lost. Her relationship with Powell was very one-sided at this point in time and no doubt led to some of her depression. Not to mention the sweeping change of persona the actress was going through, while she was still trying to figure herself out at the tender ages of twenty-four and twenty-five. ⁣

⁣As a twenty year old myself, I am far from being the person I want to be. I feel for Harlean, who had skyrocketed to impossible heights of fame at only eighteen years. A soft spoken and warm-hearted individual, the public had defined who Harlean was and she tagged along. ⁣

⁣”Most actresses outgrow their public; they think of them as morons. But ever since I clicked, I’ve worked with one realization: that in me, whether I could define it or not, was something the public wanted.” ⁣

⁣This revelation was made to a New York Times reporter on the set of SARATOGA (1937) as noted by David Stenn in Bombshell. I’ll let Harlow speak for herself there; it says all we need to know.

Citations and Sources

Stenn, D. (1993). Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow(1st ed.). Doubleday.