Rare 1936 Simone Simon Type I Historic Photograph by George Hurrell
 20th Century-Fox

An exceptional original Type I vintage photograph of Simone Simon, photographed by legendary Hollywood portrait master George Hurrell for 20th Century-Fox circa 1937.

This mesmerizing full-length portrait captures Simon in a dramatically sculpted composition of light and shadow, her dark gown nearly dissolving into the background while her softly illuminated face and hand emerge with remarkable theatrical intensity. The image displays the unmistakable visual language that made Hurrell the defining glamour photographer of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Simone Simon in Girl's Dormitory (20th Century-Fox, 1936). Fine/Very Fine. Portrait Gallery  (10.5" X 13.5") Photography by George Hurrell 
Starring Herbert Marshall, Ruth Chatterton, Simone Simon, Constance Collier, J. Edward Bromberg, Dixie Dunbar, John Qualen, Shirley Deane, and Tyrone Power. Directed by Irving Cummings. Vintage gelatin silver glossy borderless 10.5" X 13.5" portrait gallery

The reverse bears the important original studio credit stamp:

“CREDIT TO 20th CENTURY-FOX WILL BE APPRECIATED – PHOTO BY HURRELL”

This period studio stamp provides exceptional provenance and directly attributes the photograph to both George Hurrell and 20th Century-Fox. Simone Simon signed with the studio in 1936, and surviving Hurrell portraits from her early Hollywood period are highly desirable among collectors of vintage celebrity photography, classic cinema and photographic art.

Best remembered for her haunting performance as Irena Dubrovna in the Val Lewton horror masterpiece Cat People (1942), Simon possessed an enigmatic beauty perfectly suited to Hurrell’s sophisticated lighting. Here, she appears delicate, mysterious and almost sculptural—an extraordinary marriage of subject and photographer.

A rare opportunity to acquire an original studio portrait created by one of the most influential photographers in Hollywood history. Hurrell’s photographs are represented in major museum collections and remain celebrated for transforming movie stars into enduring visual icons.

Condition: Presents beautifully with expected signs of age and handling consistent with an original period photograph. Please examine the supplied front-and-back images for the complete condition and provenance.

Guaranteed original and authentic. No reproductions are offered by Conway’s Vintage Treasures.

*NOTE: We just acquired an extraordinary collection of about a dozen Rare TYPE I photographs of this early 20th Century  elusive movie star.   Photographs are all by George Hurrell and Gene Kornman. Be sure to check out the others 

More on Simone Simon unique Appeal:
Adding to the photograph’s appeal is Simone Simon’s famously elusive and enigmatic nature. Unlike many Hollywood stars who carefully cultivated constant publicity, Simon often appeared guarded, unpredictable and difficult for the studio system to fully control. Her complicated relationship with Hollywood, and what some have interpreted as moments of career self-sabotage, only deepened the mystery surrounding her. That rarity of access makes an intimate, studio-authorized Hurrell portrait such as this especially compelling: it preserves a carefully illuminated glimpse of a star who never allowed audiences to feel they completely knew her. For collectors today, Simon’s mystery is not incidental to her legacy, it is one of the qualities that makes her memorabilia so fascinating.