Portraits of a Young Elizabeth Taylor Taken by Peter Basch on the Set of ‘Giant’ in 1955

Giant is an epic Western drama film that follows the family of a Texas cattle rancher over the course of 25 years. Bick Benedict Jr. (Rock Hudson) falls in love and marries socialite Leslie Lynton (Elizabeth Taylor) from Maryland. Leslie struggles with adjusting to Bick’s family and the Texan culture. Meanwhile, Bick’s nemesis Jett Rink (James Dean) falls for Leslie and things take a turn for the worse.

The film was a huge box-office success. Giant earned $35 million in ticket sales during its original studio release in 1956, a record for a Warner Brothers film until that time. This record was not surpassed until the Warner film Superman in the late 1970s.

These fascinating portraits of a young Elizabeth Taylor, aged 23, were taken by Peter Basch on the set of Giant in 1955.