The Portfolios of George Hurrell

A presentation of portraits of movie stars by a master photographer of light and shadow, also gives his camera technique for each photograph

Glamour, anyone? In this new collection, 30 images from the limited-edition portfolios of renowned Hollywood photographer Hurrell portray a "fabulous bestiary" of movie stars of the Thirties and Forties--Crawford, Gable, Garbo, and Dietrich, for a start. Hurrell's strongly composed portraits gave a distinctive look to many a star and thereafter affected many a career. Though mere commercial work in their day, his photographs, whose hallmarks are intimacy and atmosphere, have come to be considered art. Taken in the depth of the Great Depression, these newly available images of instantly recognizable faces may well have helped Americans through a trying time in their history by providing an escape from their travails as well as the inspiration that life can be swell if you just keep it up. As such, Hurrell's faces have been called "the gods and goddesses of modern democracy." The only flaw in this otherwise peerless volume is the misspelling of Katharine Hepburn's first name.
-Edward B. Cone, New York
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.