Extraordinary Publicity Photos Of Sue Lyon As Stanley Kubrick’s Iconic ‘Lolita’, Photographed By Bert Stern – Design You Trust — Design Daily Since 2007

Extraordinary Publicity Photos Of Sue Lyon As Stanley Kubrick’s Iconic ‘Lolita’, Photographed By Bert Stern

One of the most iconic images in modern photography comes from the movie poster for Stanley Kubrick’s film adaption of Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial book Lolita. The young actress who embodied this mythical nymphet was Sue Lyon.

In 1960, Kubrick asked his friend photographer Bert Stern to take some pictures of the 13 year old actress he had cast in his upcoming film to generate some pre-filming buzz. Stern had already made a name for himself with his photographs of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, at the time the most controversial couple in the world.

His photography was candid, intimate, larger than life. With only a few notes from Kubrick and some of lines from Nabokov’s novel in his head, he took the young actress and her mother out for the day to capture the mood of both the novel and the movie that had yet to be made. Stern stated that going into a 5 and dime store to buy props for the shoot he saw young girls wearing heart shaped glasses and knew instantly that was what he needed.

The pictures taken that day have revealed themselves slowly over the years. Some were initially published in 1960 in Look Magazine, others have been published in different retrospectives of Stern and Kubrick since. Stern, using a 35 mm camera to capture the ‘snapshot’ look he wanted, said he wanted her to look like a girl you see once, glancing around, but that fleeting memory of her stays with you.

Lyon is the definition of a nymphet, lounging, playful, innocent with unwitting sensuality. The pictures’ sexuality is all within the viewer’s perception, where the mind decides to place them between child and woman. They remain to this day aesthetic defining for artists, models, designers, photographers and girls obsessed with this complex literary character.




























If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Design You Trust Facebook page. You won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

Maggie Out: Striking And Depressive Photographs Captured Everyday Life In Glasgow In 1980
Photographer Mike Meyers Captures Melancholic Mood Of Chicago In Dark Photos
Stunning Vintage Photos That Capture New York’s Subway Since The ’80s
Dark, Surreal And Moody Photo Works By Simon Kerola
Best Pictures From The Royal Air Force Photographic Competition 2018
Natalia Vodianova for Jalouse, July-August 2012
Fabulous Vintage Photos Showing The Amazing Women’s Street Style From The 1920s
This Elderly German Couple Steals The Show Every Time They Go Out
Japanese Photographer Captures Breathtaking Shots of Shrine in A Swirling Sea of Fireflies
Mugshots Of Female Nazi Concentration Camp Guards While Awaiting Trial In 1945
Photo Project That Proves Beauty Knows No Nationality
Fabulous Found Photos Of An Unknown Man Posing With Hollywood’s Finest At The Oscars And More In 1994
Soviet Youth Culture: Goths, Punks And Metalheads Of The USSR
Amazing Vintage Photographs of Fountain of Ice on Washington Boulevard in Detroit From the Early 20th Century
Facebook's New Headquarters in Menlo Park, CA
Above And Beyond: The World's Best Drone Photography 2016 Winners
On His Own: Stunning Minimalist Photo Series By The Photographer Paweł Franik
Underwater by Caelum Mero
Spectacular Winning Photos From The 2021 Nature Photographer Of The Year Awards
Osama is Inside Everyone of Us
UK Weather Photographer Of The Year 2016
"Lost In Time": Photographer Goes In Search Of Russia’s Least Known Museums
Rainy Saint Petersburg In Photographic Artworks By Eduard Gordeev
Photographer Continues Quest To Document The Diversity Of Beauty Around The World