Portrait of Actor Mae Murray [Platinum Print]

Genthe, Arnold

Publication: New York: Arnold Genthe, [1920].

Notes: A half-length profile portrait of silent film star Mae Murray (1885–1965) taken in Arnold Genthe's New York studio on March 24, 1920, according to the Library of Congress, which owns the original nitrate negative. Genthe (1869–1942) was a German-born photographer who photographed San Francisco's Chinatown in the early 20th century. His studio was destroyed in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake, and he eventually moved to New York, where he became known for his studio portraits of actors, dancers, writers, and other artists.

This portrait of Murray, one of several Genthe took, shows the continuing influence of Pictorialism in his work. Her curly hair, piled on her shoulders gradually fades out of focus. The image is a study of lights and darks. The actor's face is brightly lit as are her white sleeves and hands. Her clothes are solid black, without details, and fade into the background at the bottom of the image.

4-7/16 by 6-1/2 inch image on a roughly 5-1/2 by 8-1/2 inches. Probably a platinum print on lightly textured paper.

Edition + Condition: A near fine print, with tiny nicks at the edges and minor flaws visible in raking light. Signed "Arnold Genthe N.Y." in pencil on the mount (the mount is light-colored and the signature is very visible). The back of the mount has what appears to be a negative number, "1016B/3", changed with brown colored pencil to 4011B/31. Grant Zahajko auctioned a different Genthe image of Mae Murray (Oct. 10, 2019) with the notation "1016B/17.

Item No: #363790

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