Portrait of the Movie Star Greta Garbo, Arnold Genthe, 1925

gelatin silver print, h 323mm × w 240mm More details

Thanks to the photographs that Genthe shot of Greta Garbo, the Swedish actress began making headway in 1925 in Hollywood – after her auditions had failed to interest the film studios. At least, this is what the photographer wrote in his autobiography. While he will have embellished the truth somewhat, it is certain that from the 1920s on photographs contributed significantly to the fame of actors and actresses. Without photographs there is no celebrity culture.