Eleonora Duse, Photographed by Arnold Genthe
ELEONORA DUSE: Fine head and shoulders portrait photograph of the actress, with the photographer's label on verso. Gelatin silver print on smooth paper.
[New York?]: Ca. 1920.
Price: $1,500.00
About the item
1 vols. 13 x 10 inches; framed. Eleonora Duse, Photographed by Arnold Genthe. One corner chipped, one-inch tear without loss at lower margin, else fine. On the verso is the photographer's printed label reading “ARNOLD GENTHE / 41 East 49th Street / New York City”. Beaton and Buckland, The Magic Image, p. 139 (illustrating this photograph).
Item #14783
A strong, evocative image of the near-legendary Italian actress, shown in profile toward the end of her life.
Arnold Genthe (1869-1942) was born in Germany and came to San Francisco in 1895 as tutor for the son of a German Baron. He subsequently worked there as a professional photographer before moving to New York in 1911; he photographed the most famous people during a career that spanned four decades. “Many of [Genthe's portraits] are...period pieces, but immutable are his portraits of Duse and Garbo.” (Beaton and Buckland).
In “Arnold Genthe 1869-1942” a catalogue of an exhibition of his work held in 1975 at the Staten Island (NY) Museum, Dorothy Wilcock Neumeyer writes concerning this photograph (which is illustrated):
“Genthe once said that one of his greatest pictures was of Eleonora Duse, made on her farewell visit to the United States...he telephoned Duse and told her that he would like to photograph her when she reached New York. Duse said 'You do not want to photograph an old lady. Besides, I am not sure I will be in New York.' Genthe said, 'I will go to you in Pittsburgh. As for being old, you can never change the exquisite bone structure of your lovely face.' He went to Pittsburgh and took this great photograph. No make-up, the white hair, worn in the simple manner, a face poignant with beauty even more compelling than in her earlier years. Duse wept when she saw this picture.”
ONE OF GENTHE'S FINEST WORKS.
