Don English, Marlene Dietrich in “Shanghai Express” directed by Josef von Sternberg, 1932 via
Don English, Marlene Dietrich in “Shanghai Express” directed by Josef von Sternberg, 1932 via
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Tag Archives: Marlene Dietrich
Vintage Photos of Berlin Cabaret Artists (1920s-1930s)
Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992). Her earliest professional stage appearances were as a chorus girl on tour with Guido Thielscher’s Girl-Kabarett vaudeville-style entertainments, and in Rudolf Nelson revues in Berlin. Her performance as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel (1930) brought her international fame and resulted in a contract with Paramount Pictures. Photo of Dietrich by Ruth Harriet Louise, c 1930 via
Trude Hesterberg (1892 – 1967) was a German stage and film actress, cabaret artist, chanson singer, soubrette and operetta singer, as well as founder and director of a cabaret stage. It is thought that she was an early consideration for the lead role in The Blue Angel, before it was given to Marlene Dietrich via
Margo lion (1899 – 1989) first came to Berlin in 1921 and made her debut at Trude Hesterbergs cabaret ‘Wild Bühne’ (The Wild Stage) in 1923 . She is best known for her role as Pirate Jenny in director G.W. Pabst’s 1931 French language adaptation of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper) via
Anita Berber (1899 – 1928) was a German dancer, actress, and writer. Her hair was cut fashionably into a short bob and was frequently bright red, as in 1925 when the German painter Otto Dix painted a portrait of her, titled “The Dancer Anita Berber” via
Valeska Gert (1892 – 1978) could be considered one of Germany’s most ambiguous and overlooked artists. She was a dancer, actress, film and cabaret star. She was a pioneering performance artist who is said to have laid the foundations and paved the way for the punk movement via
Kate Kühl (1899-1970) nicknamed ‘The Red Nightingale’ went on to perform in all the major cabaret venues of the time including the Wilde Bühne, Kadeko and the Katacombe via
Blandine Ebinger (1899 – 1993) was a German actress and chansonniere. Ebinger became acquainted with Friedrich Hollaender in 1919, and with him she became heavily invested as a performer, writer, and composer in the Berlin cabaret scene in the 1920s, beginning in the cabaret Schall und Rauch and the Café Größenwahn. Photo of Blandine Ebinger performing Lieder eines armen Mädchens, 1925 via
Amazing Vintage Surreal Glamour by photographer Angus McBean
Angus McBean (8 June 1904 – 9 June 1990) was a Welsh photographer, set designer and cult figure associated with surrealism.
Two figures have prevented McBean from gaining more fame: Cecil Beaton (thanks to his lavish lifestyle and work for Vogue and the British Royal Family); and David Bailey, who much later (1960s) was close to Cecil Beaton both personally and in terms of style.
McBean did not enjoy this level of fame either in his life or after death, even though he was arguably the better technically and artistically.
Additionally McBean’s focus on the world of theatre (particularly London’s West End) did not give him international recognition.
In 2007, seven original colour transparencies (slides) of his photographs for the Beatles album cover Please Please Me by McBean were accidentally thrown in the bin at the headquarters of EMI.
Marlene Dietrich, “No Highway in the Sky” by Angus Mcbean Pinewood Studios, 1951 via
Audrey Hepburn by Angus Mcbean via
Vivien Leigh as Aurora by Angus McBean, 1938 via
Hermione Baddeley by Angus McBean, 1938 Gelatin via
Marika Rivera by Angus Mcbean via
Dorothy Dickson by Angus Mcbean, 1938 via fotographiaonline.com via
Beatrice Lillie by Angus McBean, 1940s via
Marlene Dietrich
“I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men.” –
Marlene Dietrich in New York by Cecil Beaton (1937)
Cecil Beaton came to New York in 1928. Through personal connections he gained access to some of Hollywood’s biggest stars–including Marlene Dietrich (source).
Portrait of Marlene Dietrich in New York by Cecil Beaton, 1937.
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Portrait of Marlene Dietrich in New York by Cecil Beaton, 1937.
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Stunning Portrait of Marlene Dietrich by Cecil Beaton, 1930
Portrait of Marlene Dietrich by Cecil Beaton, 1930
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Portrait of Marlene Dietrich by Cecil Beaton, 1930
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Amazing Old Hollywood Costumes by Travis Banton
Travis Banton (1894 – 1958) was the chief designer at Paramount Pictures. He is considered one of the most important Hollywood costume designers of the 1930s.
An early apprenticeship with a high-society costume dressmaker earned him fame. When Mary Pickford selected one of his dresses for her wedding to Douglas Fairbanks, his reputation was established.
He opened his own dressmaking salon in New York City, and soon was asked to create costumes for the Ziegfeld Follies. In 1924, Travis Banton moved to Hollywood when Paramount contracted with him to create costumes for his first film, The Dressmaker from Paris.
Glamour, understated elegance, and exquisite fabrics endeared Travis Banton to the most celebrated of Hollywood’s beauties and made him one of the most sought-after costume designers of his era.
Because of his alcoholism and reputedly also at the instigation of his subordinate Edith Head, Banton was forced to leave Paramount. He started his own business and also designed for Twentieth Century-Fox from 1939-1941 and Universal from 1945-1948.
Marlene Dietrich in “The Devil is a Woman,” 1935. Costume by Travis Banton.
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Claudette Colbert in “Tonight is Ours” 1933, costume by Travis Banton
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Anna May Wong in “Limehouse Blues” 1934, costume by Travis Banton.
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Lucille Ball in “Lover Come Back” 1946, costume by Travis Banton
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Carole Lombard in “Rumba”, 1935, costume by Travis Banton
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