George Hurrell

One of my most precious and loved books is Hurrell’s Hollywood Portraits by Mark Viera.

I’ve always had a thing about b&w movies!

Whatever you think of Joan Crawford, she was a beautiful fighter.

She insisted that Hurrell keep a copy of the original photo.

She was a red head with freckles and proud of it.

But she knew how to play the game.

“Joan Crawford retouched and un-retouched,

1931

A publicity photo by photographer George Hurrell of Joan Crawford made for Harry Beaumont’s Laughing Sinners (1931) before and after.

James Sharp spent six hours retouching. He removed any moles, freckles and (slight) wrinkles and made the skin a lot more radiant.”

Before

After

The Ravens of Dinefwr Chronicles

The Ravens of Dinefwr is the first in a series of novels-in-progress set in the early 12th century. It follows the dispossessed members of the South Wales House of Dinefwr from their origins in Deheubarth to the centre of the known world, Jerusalem. Come and be my fellow Far-Farer. Come travelling and unravelling with me through Wales, Norway, Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Russia, Constantinople, Italy, the Balkans, the Holy Land. Come and Far-Fare through every degree on my 12th century compass.