PHILIPPE HALSMAN (1906-1979). Elizabeth Taylor.

PHILIPPE HALSMAN (1906-1979). Elizabeth Taylor.
In October 1948, Taylor — who was only 16 at the time arrived in a low-cut dress at Halsman’s New York City portrait studio. Philippe said “In my studio Elizabeth was quiet and shy. She struck me as an average teen-ager, except that she was incredibly beautiful".

“On a purely technical level, he pointed out that two sides of my face photographed differently, " Taylor would later recall. "One side looked younger; the other more mature. In posing for Halsman, I became instantly aware of my body.”

Elizaebth recalled Halsman shouting one particularly memorable instruction for her: “You have bosoms, so stick them out!”

Taylor had worn her own dazzling earrings but she didn’t wear a necklace. During the sitting, Halsman borrowed his wife Yvonne Halsman’s blue triangle pendant necklace and placed it around Elizabeth’s neck. This subtle decision added a new level of impact to the portrait.

In Elizabeth Taylor’s 1988 autobiography, Elizabeth Takes Off: On Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Self-Image, and Self-Esteem, she described the effect the portrait session had on her self-image: “[Halsman] was the first person to make me look at myself as a woman... After my session with Halsman, I was much more determined to control my screen image. I wanted to look older so I insisted on cutting my hair. In 1949 I went from portraying Amy in Little Women, another child-woman to playing a full-fledged romantic lead in The Conspirator. At barely seventeen, I grew up for all America to see.”

This silver gelatin print was printed by his wife in an edition of 250.
It measures 16x12 inches, and is framed.