JEAN HARLOW (ca. 1931) Photo by George F. Cannons – 1

[Los Angeles: George F. Cannons, ca. 1931]. Vintage original 7 1/2 x 9 1/2″ (18 x 23 cm) black-and-white double weight glossy silver gelatin print still photo. Ink stamped on verso with photographer credit, fine.

British photographer George F. Cannons has captured a truly unique spirit in this portrait of Jean Harlow during her freelance period between her star debut in Hell’s Angels and her MGM contract period, most likely when she made Three Wise Girls for Columbia. With extreme soft focus and without her extravagant make-up she appears demure — the girl next door — and most likely her true self. Cannons, who came from London, was first associated with Mack Sennett from 1924-27. In 1927 he opened his Little English Studio on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, across the street from the Garden of Allah Hotel, and was no longer associated with a movie studio. He returned to England in 1934.