Linda Darnell

Justin McCarthy, Linda Darnell, 1944, oil on canvas board, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.128
Copied Justin McCarthy, Linda Darnell, 1944, oil on canvas board, 16 x 12 in. (40.6 x 30.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.128

Artwork Details

Title
Linda Darnell
Artist
Date
1944
Location
Dimensions
16 x 12 in. (40.6 x 30.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas board
Classifications
Subjects
  • Performing arts — theater — performer
  • Portrait female — Darnell, Linda
Object Number
1986.65.128
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.128

Artwork Description

Justin McCarthy painted many images of movie stars based on photographs from newspapers and magazines. The actress Linda Darnell made her movie debut in 1939 at the age of sixteen, becoming Hollywood's youngest leading lady. McCarthy painted the young star with flushed cheeks and a sneering expression, perhaps to mock her reputation as the "girl with the perfect face." She wears a revealing dress and no jewelry, evoking a famous scene from her 1949 movie A Letter to Three Wives: When told "If I was you, I'd show more of what I got. Maybe wear something with beads," Linda replied, "What I got don't need beads." (Classic Movie Favorites Web site, Linda Darnell Biography, 2002)