American actress Betty Joan Perske, professionally known as Lauren Bacall, was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Award in 2009 in recognition of her contribution to the Golden Age of motion pictures. She was known for her alluring, sultry presence and her distinctive, husky voice. Bacall was one of the last surviving major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema.
Lauren Bacall in the 1940s
Before becoming an actress, Bacall began a career as a model for the Walter Thornton Model Agency. She appeared on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar and in magazines such as Vogue. A 1948 article in Life magazine referred to her “cat-like grace, tawny blonde hair, and blue-green eyes.”
Take a look at these glamorous photos to see fashion styles of Lauren Bacall in the 1940s.
Lauren Bacall in Helena Rubinstein’s bathroom, photo by Louise Dahl-Wolfe, 1942
Lauren Bacall poses for Harper’s Bazaar, photo by John Engstead, 1942
Lauren Bacall wearing a dress of Everfast cotton, photo by Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Harper’s Bazaar, March 1943
Taking advantage of the natural light in editor-in-chief Carmel Snow’s, high ceilinged living room at the Ritz Tower, Louise Dahl-Wolfe photographed Betty Bacall for the March 1943 issue of Bazaar
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