Gloria Swanson, 1934
‘Why are 1930s icons Crawford, Garbo, Hepburn, Harlow, and Davis still worthy of discussion decades after they stopped working? What made them “fabulous faces” whose reputations endure to this day? Each generation chooses the faces they want to view on the screen. Would 1920s headliners Mary Pickford, known for her innocence and curly hair, and Gloria Swanson, the first glamorous screen siren, become legendary stars if each began her career today? Probably not. Stars, like books and fashion, reflect a moment in time. Every era considers itself modern and stylish’
Photograph: Clarence Sinclair Bull/MGM
