Joan Crawford

Object Details

Artist

Joseph Grant, 15 May 1908 - 6 May 2005

Sitter

Joan Crawford, 23 Mar 1904 - 13 May 1977

Exhibition Label

Born San Antonio, Texas

One of Hollywood’s most glamorous stars, Joan Crawford lived the rags-to-riches story line she so often portrayed on camera, escaping a hardscrabble youth by parlaying her talents as a dancer into a pioneering motion picture career. This caricature for the cover of a celebrity magazine exaggerates the large, expressive eyes she used to dramatic effect in the eighty films she made between 1925 and 1970. Dismissed as “box office poison” in 1938, Crawford regained her place in the spotlight through steely determination and shrewd self-reinvention, winning an Academy Award for her performance in the 1945 film Mildred Pierce. Following the death of her fourth husband, Crawford took his place on the Board of Directors of Pepsi-Cola from 1959 to 1973. Her portrayal as an abusive parent in the book Mommie Dearest (1978), written by the eldest of her four adopted children, tarnished her posthumous reputation.

Nacida en San Antonio, Texas

Joan Crawford, una de las estrellas más glamurosas de Hollywood, interpretó muchas veces el papel de la mujer pobre que se hace rica, pero también en la vida real logró escapar de una adolescencia miserable, valiéndose de sus dotes de bailarina para emprender una carrera en el cine. Esta caricatura hecha para la portada de una revista de celebridades exagera los grandes ojos expresivos que Crawford aprovechó como efecto dramático en sus ochenta películas entre 1925 y 1970. Aunque hacia 1938 se le llegó a considerar “veneno de taquilla”, Crawford recuperó el favor del público gracias a su voluntad férrea y a un inteligente cambio de imagen, llegando a ganar el Oscar por su actuación en Mildred Pierce (1945). Al morir su cuarto marido, Crawford lo sustituyó en la junta de directores de Pepsi-Cola desde 1959 hasta 1973. El libro Mommie Dearest, publicado en 1978 por la mayor de sus cuatro hijos adoptivos, la describe como una madre maltratante y ha empañado su reputación póstuma.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Carol Grubb and Jennifer Grant Castrup

1932

Object number

NPG.93.416

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Drawing

Medium

India ink, pencil and gouache on paper

Dimensions

Image: 30.5cm x 30.1 cm (12" x 11 7/8")

Sheet: 38.3cm x 35.9 cm (15 1/16" x 14 1/8")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Location

Currently not on view

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Costume\Jewelry\Necklace

Costume\Headgear\Hat

Caricature

Symbols & Motifs\Star

Joan Crawford: Female

Joan Crawford: Social Welfare and Reform\Philanthropist

Joan Crawford: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Film\Movie actor

Joan Crawford: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Dance\Dancer

Joan Crawford: Performing arts awards\Academy Award

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.93.416

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm40d2965b3-0f8f-45aa-aaee-1b0c45af4269