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Cecil B. De Mille

Cecil B. De Mille
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Wide World Photos
Sitter
Cecil Blount DeMille, 12 Aug 1881 - 21 Jan 1959
Date
1934
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 25.4 × 20.3cm (10 × 8")
Topic
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
Printed Material
Interior\Office
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Desk
Costume\Jewelry\Cufflinks
Equipment\Letter opener
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie
Costume\Jewelry\Watch\Wrist watch
Cecil Blount DeMille: Male
Cecil Blount DeMille: Performing Arts\Performing arts director\Film director
Cecil Blount DeMille: Performing Arts\Producer\Film producer
Cecil Blount DeMille: Oscar
Cecil Blount DeMille: Legion of Honor
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine Conserved with funds from The Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© AP Images/Wide World
Object number
NPG.82.TC95
Exhibition Label
Cecil B. DeMille was one of the great pioneers of the American motion picture industry. Time reported in a cover story of August 27, 1934, that he was "the only director who managed to walk the tightrope from silent to sound films without losing his megaphone or mannerisms." In fact, he was the last director in Hollywood to still use a megaphone! Time was critiquing DeMille’s sixty-seventh film, Cleopatra, starring Claudette Colbert in the title role, with Warren William as Julius Caesar. It was a typical DeMille production in that it was lavishly produced at an exorbitant cost and included a favorite DeMille prop—a bathing facility. Cleopatra’s bathtub covered an entire acre. The magazine noted that "the fabulous DeMille bathtub is a symbol not of cleanliness but of luxury."
Cecil B. DeMille fue uno de los grandes pioneros de la industria cinematográfica estadounidense. Time comentó en un artículo del 27 de agosto de 1934 que era "el único director que logró caminar la cuerda floja desde el cine silente hasta el sonoro sin perder su megáfono ni sus peculiaridades". De hecho, fue el último director de Hollywood que usó megáfono. En aquel momento, Time reseñaba la película número sesenta y siete de DeMille, Cleopatra, protagonizada por Claudette Colbert con Warren William como Julio César. Se trataba de un filme típico de DeMille, con una producción espléndida de costo exorbitante, y además un elemento favorito del director: un baño. La bañera de Cleopatra ocupaba un acre completo. Según comentó la revista: "La fabulosa bañera de DeMille es un símbolo, no de higiene, sino de lujo".
Collection Description
In 1978, Time magazine donated approximately eight hundred works of original cover art to the National Portrait Gallery. The museum is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who have shaped the United States, and the Time Collection—featuring prominent international figures and events—enriches our understanding of the United States in a global context.
En 1978, la revista Time donó a la National Portrait Gallery cerca de 800 obras de arte originales creadas para sus portadas. Nuestro museo se dedica a narrar la historia de figuras que han contribuido a forjar el desarrollo de Estados Unidos, y es así que la Colección Time, que incluye retratos de importantes personalidades internacionales, nos ayuda a comprender mejor a nuestra nación en un contexto global.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view