An exclusive nude portrait of Elizabeth Taylor has just surfaced from a private collection. It is a black and white photograph and is reported to be the only nude portrait of the world-famous actress in existence. Further reports say, according to Daily Mail, this is the first time it has ever been shown in public.
Elizabeth Taylor wanted it as a gift for her then-soon-to-be third husband, Mike Todd (who later became one of nine)—a nude portrait, tasteful and elegant. She was 24, already a well-known actress, and arguably the most beautiful woman on the planet. But how to get such a photograph was a problem in 1956, when nudity was taken seriously, and stars gave more thought to their reputations. No studio could be trusted. No self-snapshot was even possible.
Elizabeth trusted a friend, and that friend honored her trust. He snapped the picture, the portrait was made, and it slipped into a private collection after Mike Todd died in a plane crash shortly after. But it must have been sold with restrictions. “Don’t show it to anyone until after my death,” was the probable commandment.
So here it is. They just donÂ’t make photographs like that anymore in these days of graphic and frequent nudity. Elizabeth Taylor always had style.
Roddy McDowall took the picture. He starred in Elizabeth’s first movie, Lassie Come Home, and he and she were long-time friends and co-stars—the Disney Kids of their generation, along with Mickey Rooney and a few others. Times were more innocent, then.
The nude portrait of Elizabeth Taylor looks innocent, now. But still hot. It will always be hot.
© Cindy Kroiss 2011
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