The beautiful color photography of Paul Hesse, 1940s. Paul began his career as a photographer in New York during the 1920s, eventually moving to Los Angeles and setting up a studio on Sunset Boulevard in 1940. Setting himself apart from his peers by specializing in color when black and white was still largely in favor, he quickly became a favorite of movie magazines like Photoplay and Modern Screen. Hesse’s portraits often graced the covers and interior photo spreads, replacing the usually hand-drawn and hand-tinted color photos of the stars that were commonly used in the 1920s and 1930s. Beloved by Gene Tierney, Lana Turner, and Lucille Ball among others, Hesse was nicknamed
“Hollywood’s Photographic Ziegfeld”
by the stars he took portraits of. Actor Bob Cummings later based the photographer character he portrayed on the 1955-1959 TV series The Bob Cummings Show (aka: Love That Bob) on Hesse. Branching out to advertising in the late-1940s, Hesse became the go-to guy on Madison Avenue for car, cola, cigarette, and beer ads. Hesse retired in 1963, and passed away ten years later at age 77. His gorgeous portraits of Hollywood stars from the golden age of cinema will forever shine as his legacy.
Depicted above: Merle Oberon,
Rita Hayworth,
Lana Turner,
Gene Tierney, Lucille Ball, Veronica Lake,
Ava Gardner, and Lauren Bacall.
