Fashion Portraits: Jean Harlow by Herbert Mitchell, 1932

Been awhile since I’ve done a “Fashion Portraits” post, but I always enjoy doing them, so here’s another.

In early 1932, Jean Harlow was deep in a personal appearance tour that would last from December 1931 to April 1932, when her cinematic efforts were rewarded with an MGM contract. I’ve written a bit about this time period before and what it meant for Harlow in other portrait posts—you can find those here and here.

This wasn’t her first trip East, and each time Harlow went she seemed to return with a new photography studio under her belt; some of the East Coast based photographers she sat for over 1930-1932 include William White Studios, Pach Brothers, Irving Chidnoff, Charles Gates Sheldon, and Herbert Mitchell. 

Focusing on Mitchell’s images today, we see a variety of expressive poses from the barely 21 year old Harlow, varying from solemn to playful. Click on the desired image for full size:

The original prints of these are characteristically marked “Mother”, denoting the copies were to be given to Jean’s mother.

This one in particular is indicative of Harlow’s character; you can see it in her eyes.

Two more of these poses were signed from Jean’s mother to fans, as per usual:

Aside from these more intimate shots, Mitchell made a variety of fashion portraits featuring Harlow modeling ensembles from the nearby Milgrim’s department store; these were taken exclusively for Motion Picture magazine, and the session later appeared in their March 1932 issue. Their article actually has more photos than I do; I only know of two portraits that I’ve seen outside of it:

Here Jean shows off one of her glorious trademark satin bias-cut gowns (who ever wore them better?).

Jean almost seems like she’s shooting us a knowing glance in this snazzy photo; she has to know she’s exuding sheer deco opulence, as always. This voguish outfit was described by Motion Picture as a “three-piece suit of Morocco crepe”, finished off with three-quarter length sleeves and white appliquéd trimming.

These photos are almost an anomaly in Mitchell’s portfolio, as he didn’t do fashion shoots or even full-length poses very often. Without further ado, here’s the full spread as it appeared in Motion Picture:

Someday I’ll have every image in this spread (manifesting).

Before we wrap up—a little more on Milgrim’s. Jean modeled dozens of different designers during her career, and Milgrim’s is notable due to its presence of a woman at the forefront; Sally Milgrim initially started out working under her husband, but her own smart dress designs caught on swiftly. Soon, she found herself with a separate storefront, dressing legendary figures like First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Eleanor Roosevelt in a Sally Milgrim creation for FDR’s inaugural ball, 1933.

An advert for Milgrim gowns from The Knoxville Journal, November 1932.

Though this seemed to be Jean’s only fashion shoot with Herbert Mitchell, there would be countless more with a plethora of photographers at MGM—click here for more posts detailing her various modeling sessions.