Original photograph of Norma Talmadge, circa 1920s

N.p. N.p., Circa 1920s. Vintage borderless portrait photograph of actress Norma Talmadge, circa 1920s. With the insignia of New York photographer Irving Chidnoff on the bottom right corner of the image.

Talmadge was born into near-poverty in New Jersey, working as a model as a teenager to help make ends meet. Her talent attracted the attention of Vitagraph studio executives, and she soon moved to Hollywood with her mother, where she appeared in a number of successful films, most notably the 1917 silent film "Panthea." However, as with many of her contemporaries, her voice was considered unsuitable for sound film, and she retired from film in the late 1920s, after two failed attempts at talkies in 1929 and 1930.

Russian-born photographer Irving Chidnoff founded his studio in Manhattan in 1925, and soon became known for his humanistic, personality-driven portraits, a warmer contrast to the glamorous style favored by many Hollywood photographers in the early twentieth century. His studio remained open until the mid-1950s, servicing stage actors, classical musicians, and society figures of New York.

7 x 9 inches. Near Fine.

[Book #151026]