This poolside March 1934 William Grimes session, and this particular portrait, will probably look familiar to longtime followers as it was my profile picture for quite some time. This, in general, is also one of my favorite Harlow publicity sessions. Grimes was a powerhouse.
This March 1934 portrait session, in which Jean modeled a handful of supplied B.V.D. brand swimsuits, was done with William Grimes in the backyard of her Beverly Glen home. This particular ad copy doesn’t have Grimes’ rubber stamp, but it does have a printed press snipe describing the suit:
Happy to have my own original print of this favorite photo, even if it’s imperfect. I’m not quite sure what happened to this copy that would result in this type of damage, but God knows time leaves all sorts of mark, and the bottom line is it doesn’t bug me too much. I did retouch it a bit, but I’m admittedly no expert in digital restoration, so I opted to leave the majority of the damaged area instead of making it look worse. I mean, at least it’s a perfect place to put a watermark…
One exciting thing about acquiring this original was I got a closer look at Harlow’s trademark, ever-present anklet. This one’s a bit different from the chains I usually see her wear, as it seems to be light-colored beads or gems strung together. Gemologists, where are you!
Makes me feel a bit warmer in this gloomy November weather to look at pinup pool photos. Check my story for other gorgeous shots taken of Harlow this same day.
Harlow Heaven 