Philippe Halsman
Carroll Baker as Harlow

Carroll Baker as Harlow

© Philippe Halsman/Magnum Photos

Carroll Baker as Harlow
Carroll Baker as Harlow
ArtistAmerican, born Latvia, 1906–1979
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Carroll Baker as Harlow
Datec. 1963
PlaceCalifornia, United States
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 13 9/16 × 10 5/8 in. (34.4 × 27 cm)
Sheet: 13 15/16 × 11 in. (35.4 × 27.9 cm)
Credit LineThe Sonia and Kaye Marvins Portrait Collection, museum purchase funded by Sonia and Kaye Marvins
Object number88.9
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Special Collections
Object Type
Description

With more than one hundred Life covers to his
credit by 1970, Halsman is widely recognized as a great portraitist. After
traditional sessions with sitters, he often asked them to jump for him while he
made a picture. He used this technique to help bring out a less intimidating
side to his occasionally overbearing subjects. Halsman used complicated sets,
as well as jumping, to capture and retain the viewer's attention. Halsman's
work consisted primarily of photographing celebrities, artists, politicians,
movie stars, and other entertainers.





Most likely used with a promotional
article for Carroll Baker's latest movie, Halsman's portrait atypically eschews
innovation in favor of a straightforward portrait of the star in her role. He
posed Baker in a strapless satin gown amidst a pile of fur as she casts a come hither stare.
Appropriate to her and Jean Harlow's
early roles, Baker appears very seductive. It is
 unusual for the era that Halsman did
not heavily retouch the negative, for it was a technique that propelled the
careers of other celebrity photographers.



Provenance[San Francisco Camerawork, San Francisco]; purchased by MFAH, 1988.
Exhibition History"Looking at Portraits" The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston May 15,1988 - July 10,1988

“Made for Magazines: Iconic 20th-Century Photographs,” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 9–May 4, 2014.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
verso lower center in pencil " Carroll Baker "
verso center in pencil " Philippe Halsman "
verso center above signature a stamp " Copyright / by / © Philippe Halsman "

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Beaumont Newhall
Philippe Halsman
1942
Gelatin silver print
2002.1262
cropped recto of sheet
Philippe Halsman
1942
Gelatin silver print
2002.1261
Georgia O'Keeffe
Philippe Halsman
1967
Gelatin silver print
2002.1260
Aldous Huxley
Philippe Halsman
1950s, printed later
Gelatin silver print
2015.628
Dali Cyclops
Philippe Halsman
1953, printed c. 1981
Gelatin silver print
90.467.2
Dali with Rhinoceros
Philippe Halsman
1956, printed c. 1981
Gelatin silver print
90.467.3
Dali Atomicus
Philippe Halsman
1948, printed c. 1981
Gelatin silver print
90.467.1
Dali Clockface
Philippe Halsman
1953, printed c. 1981
Gelatin silver print
90.467.5
Dali Sculpture with Light
Philippe Halsman
1950, printed c. 1981
Gelatin silver print
90.467.6
Dali Skull
Philippe Halsman
1951, printed c. 1981
Gelatin silver print
90.467.4
Invisible Dali
Philippe Halsman
1954, printed c. 1981
Gelatin silver print
90.467.7
Dali's Mustache
Philippe Halsman
1953, printed c. 1981
Gelatin silver print
90.467.8