Object Details
- Artist
- Irving Penn, 16 Jun 1917 - 7 Oct 2009
- Sitter
- Lillian Hellman, 20 Jun 1905 - 30 Jun 1984
- Exhibition Label
- Born New Orleans, Louisiana
- Lillian Hellman was regarded as one of the most important playwrights of her time. In 1934, she experienced her first theatrical success with the Broadway production of The Children’s Hour, and her greatest triumph came in 1939 with the initial staging of The Little Foxes. Unlike many plays that become dated over time, this carefully crafted tale of family greed has garnered enduring critical respect.
- In the 1950s, Hellman was investigated for potential links to the Communist Party. Though willing to speak about her own beliefs, she refused to potentially hurt “innocent people . . . in order to save” herself. She famously wrote, “I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashion.” In later years, Hellman turned to writing her memoirs, which, though not scrupulously truthful, elicited some of the best reviews she ever received.
- Nacida en Nueva Orleans, Luisiana
- Lillian Hellman figura entre las dramaturgas más importantes de su época. En 1934 tuvo su primer éxito teatral con la producción en Broadway de La calumnia, y su mayor triunfo ocurrió en 1939 con el estreno de La loba. Si bien muchas obras pierden vigencia con el tiempo, esta historia cuidadosamente construida en torno al tema de la avaricia familiar sigue siendo respetada por la crítica.
- En la década de 1950, Hellman fue investigada por posibles vínculos con el Partido Comunista. Aunque estaba dispuesta a hablar de sus opiniones personales, se negó a causar daño a “personas inocentes […] para salvarse” ella. Hay una cita famosa suya: “No puedo ni quiero retocar mi conciencia según la moda de este año”. Más tarde se dedicó a escribir sus memorias, que aunque no son verídicas al pie de la letra, se encuentran entre sus obras mejor recibidas por la crítica.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- 1947
- Object number
- NPG.90.122
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © 1984 Irving Penn
- Type
- Photograph
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image/Sheet: 17.9 × 19.2 cm (7 1/16 × 7 9/16")
- Mount: 38 × 27.6 cm (14 15/16 × 10 7/8")
- Mat: 55.9 × 40.6 cm (22 × 16")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Interior\Studio
- Lillian Hellman: Female
- Lillian Hellman: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
- Lillian Hellman: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Educator\Teacher
- Lillian Hellman: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer\Playwright
- Lillian Hellman: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer\Screenwriter
- Lillian Hellman: Arts and Culture\Literature\Literary critic
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.90.122
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm46ebc0f63-9945-4ffc-ad1c-7719b765d55c
