You’ve seen the eyes. Even in grainy, black-and-white pictures of Elizabeth Taylor, those irises look like they’re vibrating at a different frequency. People call them violet.
Honestly? They weren't purple. Not biologically. But if you look at a high-res shot from the 1963 set of Cleopatra, you’d swear they were the color of a bruised plum.
That’s the thing about Elizabeth Taylor. Her image wasn't just a record of a face; it was an event. From a seven-year-old child star in London to the diamond-drenched activist of the 90s, her life was essentially lived inside a camera lens. She didn't just pose; she collaborated with the light.
The Genetic "Mutation" Behind the Photos
Most people focus on the color, but the real secret to why she photographed so intensely was a mutation. She had a rare condition called distichiasis. Basically, she was born with a double row of eyelashes.
Imagine that.
When she showed up for Lassie Come Home, the director reportedly told her to go wash off that "heavy mascara." She wasn't wearing any. Those thick, dark fringes created a natural frame that made the whites of her eyes pop and the blue of her irises look impossibly deep.
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Photographers like Philippe Halsman and Douglas Kirkland obsessed over this. In 1948, Halsman took a portrait of a 16-year-old Elizabeth that changed everything. She arrived at his studio in a low-cut dress, looking far older than her years. Halsman noticed that the two sides of her face photographed differently—one looked "younger," the other more "mature."
She was a shape-shifter.
Why the "Violet" Eye Myth Persists
If you look at enough pictures of Elizabeth Taylor, you start to see the trick. It’s physics, not magic. She had deep blue eyes with very little melanin.
When you mix that base with:
- Intense studio "hot lights"
- Purple or blue eyeshadow
- A reflection from a royal-colored dress
- The "red-eye" effect of old film reflecting off the retina
The result is a perceptual masterpiece. Your brain sees blue plus a hint of reflected red and screams "Violet!" She leaned into it, too. She named her perfume White Diamonds and Night Musk, but her other big hit? Violet Eyes. She knew the power of the brand.
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The Scandalous Stills: Liz, Dick, and the Paparazzi
The 1960s changed the way we consume celebrity photos forever. Specifically, the "Le Scandale" on the set of Cleopatra.
There’s a specific photograph—you know the one—where she’s sitting on husband Eddie Fisher’s lap while Richard Burton looks on. The tension is thick enough to cut with a knife.
Before this, movie stars were carefully curated by studios. But the pictures of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton on a yacht in Ischia were different. They were raw. Grainy. Intrusive. This was the birth of the modern paparazzi. We weren't just looking at a star; we were voyeurs in a train wreck.
Collecting and Authenticating the Icon
If you’re looking to own a piece of this history, it’s a minefield. The Elizabeth Taylor Archive holds over 20,000 digitized items, but the market for original "silver gelatin" prints is booming.
Don't just buy a "vintage" photo on eBay without checking the back. Real press photos from the 40s and 50s usually have "slugs"—the typed descriptions glued to the back—and date stamps from agencies like AP or United Press.
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The most valuable shots?
- Terry O’Neill’s candid shots from the 70s.
- Gary Bernstein’s 1989 "Passion" shoot (the one where she’s in a pool with a real leopard).
- Anything signed by her with a PSA/DNA or JSA certificate.
She signed a lot of autographs, but her signature changed as her health declined. Early "Liz" signatures are rare because she actually hated the nickname. "It sounds like a hiss," she’d say. She preferred Elizabeth. Always.
The Actionable Insight: How to See Her Clearly
To truly appreciate the artistry of her image, you have to look past the "glamour" and see the technical skill.
Next time you’re looking at pictures of Elizabeth Taylor, look at the catchlights in her eyes. See how she tilts her chin to minimize the "double chin" Richard Burton used to tease her about. She was a master of her own geometry.
If you want to start a collection or just study the history of Hollywood lighting, start with the book Forever Elizabeth. It compiles works from eight legendary photographers who captured her. It’s a masterclass in how a human face becomes a global currency.
Study the lighting in her 1950 wedding photos to Nicky Hilton. Compare it to the 1964 Ritz-Carlton wedding to Burton. The light shifts from "innocent glow" to "hard-won brilliance." That’s not just aging; that’s the story of a woman who learned how to own every photon that hit her.
To further your research into Taylor's visual legacy, follow these steps:
- Verify the Photographer: When viewing an iconic shot, check if it was taken by Norman Parkinson or Milton Greene. Their styles—Parkinson’s fashion-forward sharpness and Greene’s soft, intimate glow—dictate the "mood" of the era you are seeing.
- Check the Jewelry: Many of her most famous photos feature her own "Crown Jewels," like the 33-carat Krupp Diamond. If the stone in the photo looks like a glass marble, it's likely a movie still where she was wearing costume pieces instead of her personal vault.
- Analyze the "Slug": If purchasing a physical print, use a magnifying glass to check the reverse side for a "Filing Date." A photo printed in 1955 of a 1955 event is a "Type 1" and is worth significantly more than a 1970s reprint.