Sophia Loren Photographed by David Seymour at Her Home in Rome, Italy, 1955

David Seymour’s unobtrusive manner, sense of humor and ability to listen, helped in the creation of portraits that went beyond the usual “glamour shots,” conveying an air of relaxed intimacy. Among his subjects were Audrey Hepburn, Joan Collins, Ava Gardner, Kim Novak – and Sophia Loren.

Seymour said of the session with Loren: “I photographed Sophia in 1955, a budding actress, we talked over the phone and I explained what I wanted. She invited me over for a Sunday morning early meeting, I found her in bed in a dark blue negligee although she was talking on the phone. She got up and changed costume, we went to a covered balcony of her apartment and I had nothing else to do but record a stream of poses which somehow met my memory of wartime pin-ups. All this was done with a touch of irony and maliciousness.”