
During Hollywood’s Golden Age, studio photographers—usually anonymous—shot millions of photos of stars, starlets, and contract players. The photos were sent out to movie magazines, theaters, distributors, and movie fans who wrote to their favorite stars requesting autographed photos.
Several genres of photos became the bread and butter of the overworked and immensely gifted photographers. The carefully-lit, studio portrait was, by far, the most popular.
But the two-shot of male and female stars in a romantic embrace, looking dreamy and lost in passion, was an enduring pose that fans adored. The cheek to cheek shot was usually used to promote an upcoming film.