Rare Behind the Scenes Hair and Make-up Stills for “Gone With The Wind” (1939)

These continuity and test photographs capture actors of Gone With The Wind (1939) undergoing hair, makeup, and tear‑stain application tests. They’re archival reference shots used on set to ensure visual consistency across different scenes and shooting takes.

Monte Westmore was the head makeup artist at Selznick International. He personally handled makeup during screentests for Scarlett and supervised continuity for extras. His workload during Gone With the Wind was immense—and tragically tied to his premature death shortly after the film’s release.

Monte pioneered using an airbrush technique to create a more natural, even makeup finish on camera—revolutionary for its time. He meticulously coordinated hair, costume, and makeup to align Scarlett’s physical appearance with her emotional and socioeconomic state—green eye shadow to bring out her hazel‑green eyes, tear stains hand‑painted to replicate a consistent crying effect, and dusty makeup to reflect her time working in the fields.

In Margaret Mitchell’s novel, Scarlett O'Hara is described as having “Indian-straight hair.” However, Vivien Leigh had naturally curly hair. This created a minor conflict with the source material, though her iconic hairstyles in the film are what many people associate with the character. With multiple units filming simultaneously, these reference images ensured Scarlett’s hairstyle and makeup matched perfectly from shot to shot.

To maintain visual consistency without relying on real tears, makeup artists hand‑painted tear tracks and applied staged “dirt” for reliability and realism. Hair, makeup, and costumes worked synchronously toward Scarlett’s evolving look—from plantation belle to wartime laborer.