Portrait of Princess Natalie PALEY
Photography
2025.5.6.1.PH.CI.C1936.US
Description
Studio portrait of Natalie PALEY, produced in connection with her role in "Sylvia Scarlett" (1935), by RKO Radio Pictures. The composition presents a close-up view of the face, with the head slightly inclined and the gaze directed toward the viewer, conveying a composed and intimate expression.One hand is raised to the cheek in a posed gesture, displaying dark nail polish and a prominent ring set with a large, faceted stone.PALEY's hair is styled in a smooth, sculpted coiffure with soft waves drawn back from the forehead, characteristic of mid-1930s fashion. The features are delicately modelled through soft studio lighting, which highlights the eyes, cheekbones, and lips, while maintaining a gradual tonal transition across the face. Natalia wears a textured knit garment, likely a sweater or wrap, visible at the shoulder, contributing a tactile contrast to the smooth surface of the skin.
Natalie PALEY (1905-1981) was a Russian princess, the granddaughter of Tsar Alexander II. She fled the Russian Revolution and went on to establish herself as a model in Paris throughout the 1930s, for Schiaparelli, Chanel, and Vogue. She later appeared in French and American films. Directed by George CUKOR, Sylvia Scarlett (1935) is a romantic comedy starring Katharine HEPBURN as a woman who poses as a boy, with Cary GRANT and Edmund GWENN in supporting roles, blending farce and drama in what became one of the era's most notorious box-office failures, despite later cult status.
Material
Analog photographyOrigin
vers 1936 New York, United StatesDimensions
Length : 15.5 cmHeight : 21.5 cm