Gelatin silver print of this celebrated photograph taken for the Blackglama ad "What becomes a Legend most?" Stamped by the photographer to the lower right, verso. 14 x 14 inches (35.6 x 35.6 cm); Overall paper size measures 20 x 16 inches. A few small light creases, otherwise fine.

An iconic image of the American playwright, prose writer, memoirist, and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway as well as her communist views and political activism.

Originally, Ginger Rogers had been slated to pose in the fabulous $7,000 fur but on the day she was scheduled to appear, she staged a no show. With photographer Bill King and makeup master Way Bandy standing by, Peter’s calls to her agent proved futile. In a last ditch effort, he contacted a close friend and former Blackglama modeler, Claudette Colbert, and told her of the dilemma, asking if she might find a substitute…immediately.

The lovely and always resourceful Claudette told him she was about to go to lunch with Lillian Hellman. Would she do? Peter loved the idea. Less than an hour later the phone rang. It was Claudette. “There’s a legend here, and she’d like to speak with you.” Hellman got on the phone. “When?” she asked. “How about after lunch,” he answered. “I’ll be there.”

It proved an inspired choice. The picture rejuvenated the campaign. Like most women, Lillian Hellman, a far from comely “serious” writer/intellectual, had a vain streak and loved the idea of being immortalized as a “Legend.” Immortalized she was. Bill Buckley, one of Hellman’s arch-detractors adorned the cover of his famed magazine with the photograph, condemning the frivolity of it all. She loved it.

The response was immediate with letters from fans and foes pouring in. Most loved it. Others, not so much, as one well-intentioned writer observed: “How wonderful you did Bert Lahr.”