Object Details
- Artist
- George Hurrell, 1 Jun 1904 - 17 May 1992
- Sitter
- Marlene Dietrich, 27 Dec 1901 - 6 May 1992
- Exhibition Label
- With her world-weary sophistication, smoky voice, and icy allure, Marlene Dietrich brought a highly provocative glamour to the silver screen. The rapturous response to Morocco and The Blue Angel— the melodramas that introduced her to American audiences in 1930—marked Dietrich for stardom. She honed her magnetic public persona in each of the six films made with director and mentor Josef von Sternberg, exerting a commanding presence even in the weakest vehicle.
- Dietrich began bringing a full-length mirror to her filmsets with von Sternberg to monitor both the lighting and her appearance on camera. She continued this practice during her portrait sittings with George Hurrell. By placing her mirror as closely as possible to Hurrell’s camera, she was able to position herself before the shutter clicked. Recalling that he had little agency during their sessions, Hurrell observed, “Those sultry, sexy poses were mostly her creation.”
- Con su sofisticación cínica, su voz ronca y una apatía seductora, Marlene Dietrich proyectaba en la gran pantalla un glamur provocador. La euphoria que causaron Marruecos y El Ángel Azul (melodramas que la dieron a conocer en EE.UU. en 1930) le abrió el camino al estrellato. Dietrich pulió su magnética imagen pública en los seis filmes que realizó con su mentor, el director Josef von Sternberg, e impuso su formidable presencia incluso en películas mediocres.
- Fue con Von Sternberg que Dietrich empezó a llevar al estudio un espejo de cuerpo entero para comprobar la iluminación y su apariencia ante las cámaras. Esto continuó en sus sesiones fotográficas con George Hurrell. Ella colocaba el espejo lo más cerca posible de la cámara para poder llegar a su pose deseada antes del “clic” del obturador. Hurrell recordó que él aportaba poco en estas sesiones: “Esas poses sensuales, voluptuosas, eran en su mayoría creación de ella”.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired in part through the generosity of an anonymous donor
- 1937
- Object number
- NPG.2022.44
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Photograph
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image: 34.3 × 27 cm (13 1/2 × 10 5/8")
- Sheet: 35.3 × 27.8 cm (13 7/8 × 10 15/16")
- Mount: 50.6 × 37.9 cm (19 15/16 × 14 15/16")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Exhibition
- Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell
- On View
- NPG, South Gallery 120
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Costume\Headgear\Headdress
- Interior
- Costume\Jewelry\Bracelet
- Costume\Dress Accessory\Feather
- Marlene Dietrich: Female
- Marlene Dietrich: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Theater\Stage actor
- Marlene Dietrich: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Film\Movie actor
- Marlene Dietrich: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Violinist
- Marlene Dietrich: Civilian awards\Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.2022.44
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4b3db2d94-ab5b-4724-b13e-bfb7a8039d6b
