Eartha Kitt 1954 by Philippe Halsman

Description

Eartha Kitt
(January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer, actress, dancer, activist and comedian, known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby", which were both US Top 10 hits. Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the world.”
Original silver print
10 x 8 with Halsman's stamp on the reverse. Dated 1954.
Philippe Halsman
(1906 – 1979) was a Latvian-born American portrait photographer. Born to a Jewish family in Riga, Halsman studied electrical engineering in Dresden. In 1930 Halsman relocated to Paris and began his career as a portrait photographer. In 1932 he opened his first studio and merely two years later his work began appearing in magazines such as Vogue. In 1941 Halsman met the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and they began to collaborate in the late 1940s. In 1942 he found work with Life Magazine photographing hat designs and went on to photograph many celebrities. In 1951 Halsman was commissioned by NBC to photograph various popular comedians of the time.