Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

April 1, 2016 by Robert J. Avrech 6 Comments

“I never really felt pretty, bright or socially adept.” —Grace Kelly — “I never really felt pretty, bright or socially adept.”
—Grace Kelly

René Burri San-Cristobál 1976 — René Burri
San-Cristobál
1976

Ralph Steiner (1899-1986) American Rural Baroque 1929 Silver gelatin print — Ralph Steiner (1899-1986) “American Rural Baroque”, 1929, Silver gelatin print

Janina Green (Essen, Germany born 1944; Australia from 1949) Untitled [Washing in basket] 1988 Gelatin silver photograph, photo oils National Gallery of Australia, Canberra — Janina Green (Essen, Germany born 1944; Australia from 1949)
Untitled [Washing in basket]
1988
Gelatin silver photograph, photo oils
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Sonia Delaunay Philomene 1907 — Sonia Delaunay
Philomene
1907

Priscilla Presley with bouffant hair, 1965. — Priscilla Presley with big hair, 1965.

Max Yavno (1911-1985) Garage Doors, San Francisco, 1947 Silver gelatin print

“I was full of strange feeling, as if I were two people. One of them was Norma Jeane from the orphanage who belonged to nobody. The other was somebody whose name I didn’t know. But I knew where she belonged. She belonged to the ocean and the sky and the whole world.” —Marilyn Monroe — “I was full of strange feeling, as if I were two people. One of them was Norma Jeane from the orphanage who belonged to nobody. The other was somebody whose name I didn’t know. But I knew where she belonged. She belonged to the ocean and the sky and the whole world.”
—Marilyn Monroe

Paul Gauguin 1848 – 1903 Jacob Wrestling the Angel Vision after the sermon oil on canvas (73 × 92 cm) — 1888 Museum National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh — Paul Gauguin 1848 – 1903
Jacob Wrestling the Angel
Vision after the sermon
oil on canvas (73 × 92 cm) — 1888
Museum National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Lee Miller Fire Masks, London, England 1941 — Lee Miller
Fire Masks, London, England
1941

Sonia Delaunay Propeller (Air Pavilion) 1937 — Sonia Delaunay
Propeller (Air Pavilion)
1937

Hayley Mills with bouffant hair, 1967. — Hayley Mills with big hair, 1967.

Horst P. Horst, Dress by Hattie Carnegie, 1939.

Andrew Follows (Australia) Ford Mustang Fastback 1966 2016 From the series Carmania Digital photograph — Andrew Follows (Australia)
Ford Mustang Fastback 1966
2016
From the series Carmania
Digital photograph

Caterina van Hemessen Portrait of a Lady, 1551 — Caterina van Hemessen, Portrait of a Lady, 1551

Karen, 8th Grade graduation picture from Yeshiva Flatbush, 1964. I ask Karen if this was her version of big hair. She responds, “A flip.” — Karen’s 8th grade picture from our elementary school, Yeshiva Flatbush, 1964. I asked Karen if this was her version of big hair. She said, “It was a flip.” When Karen sat for this photo I had already been hopelessly in love with her since the 4th grade. You can read my eBook, How I Married Karen, for the full story.

Sonia Delaunay Court shoes 1925 — Sonia Delaunay
Court shoes
1925

Legendary costume designer Edith Head's self portrait, autograph. — Legendary costume designer Edith Head’s self portrait, autograph.

Robert J. Avrech, Silent Picture, Los Angeles, 2016.

Roman Vishniac (1897-1990) Father taking his son to the first day of cheder 1937-1938 Silver gelatin print — Roman Vishniac (1897-1990)
Father Taking His Son to the First Day of Cheder
1937-1938
Silver gelatin print

Mayan and Ariel wish all our friends and relatives a lovely and meaningful Shabbat. Photo by: Steve Cohn www.stevecohnphotography.com © 2016 — Maayan and Ariel wish all our friends and relatives a lovely and meaningful Shabbat.
Photo by: Steve Cohn
www.stevecohnphotography.com
© 2016

Comments

kgbudge says

April 5, 2016 at 11:06 am

“I never really felt pretty, bright or socially adept.”

She was one heck of an actress, then.

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Barry says

April 3, 2016 at 2:21 pm

Regarding Grace Kelly and her comment: Insecurity, coupled with the illusion of confidence, are essential ingredients to screen success.

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Rena says

April 2, 2016 at 10:16 am

Comments related to various points of this post:

1) When I saw the painting by Delaunay, I thought it was by Gauguin, having never heard of the first painter. Then, two photos down, there he is. Maybe it was her homage to him? 2) Boy, could I post a “big hair” graduation photo of mine from 1966. 3) I could also post a Mustang photo from Facebook, of my son posed yesterdayin front of his classic Mustang. 4) As usual, the photo that touches me the most is the photo of the grandchildren, my own grand nephews and nieces, who are growing up far away from me, as I am in Israel. 5) All you guys who had a crush on me in school and never told me, I’m waiting to hear from you.

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Bill Brandt says

April 1, 2016 at 10:43 am

That always surprised me to read of stars who – to the world – are beautiful or handsome and inwardly they believe that they are ugly.

Like Norma Jean’s fixation with her nostrils. Since you mentioned her fixation with them now every time I see a poster of her I look at her nostrils. Personally they look fine to me.

I think she did live as 2 people – it was Norma Jean who tormented her.

Must be, for all the outward signs of “having it all” – a rather sad existence.

You are one of the few people I know who had a crush on a girl from the earliest school years and got to marry her.

In fact, the only person I know.

Remembering the story from Karen’s perspective and asking you years later “why didn’t you say something” ? It always has surprised me that when a young boy is acting goofy around a girl they never seem to pick up on it.

Or rarely. And they are supposed to be “the sensitive gender”.

I often wonder what happened to this girl I liked – her family moved from town after 7th grade and it is as if, even in this internet search-engine era, she disappeared from the face of the earth. Then I think of Paul Simon’s song from the 60s, Kodachrome, and how everything looks better in black and white.

There were several over my early years but it was not meant to be.

Sometimes it is better to remember things as they were.

I think you were lucky!

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ProphetJoe says

April 1, 2016 at 8:04 am

Again, beautiful.

Lee Miller was a fabulous photographer. These women were actually sitting on the steps of Lee Miller’s air raid shelter. My favorite photo of Miller is the one of her in Hitler’s bathtub after she visited Dachau.

I love the rocker’s shadow on the clapboard in the “American Rural Baroque”.

I like some of Sonia Delaunay’s later works — Court Shoes and Propeller — but Philomene and several like it don’t move me. They were paintings of people and most were done in the 1905-1910 range. I like the abstracts she did after that. I just read her bio on ArtBlart.com:

“She was born Sonia Illinitchna Stern to a Jewish Ukrainian family. At the age of seven she went to live with her comparatively wealthy uncle Henri Terk and his wife, Anna, in St Petersburg, Russia. The Terk’s offered her a privileged and cultured upbringing in St Petersburg. Nevertheless, her childhood memories of Ukraine remained with her and she often referred back to the ‘pure’ colour and bright costumes of the Ukrainian peasant weddings.”

Karen’s photo reminds me of one of my sister in early high school. White blouse with that flip hairdo. I think I was sporting a crew cut back then…

Have a wonderful Sabbath!

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- Larry says
  
  April 1, 2016 at 3:51 pm
  
  If interested, read more about Lee Miller at http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/09/female-wwii-photographer-lee-miller, which includes the bathtub photo, among others.
  
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