The Picture

When I was fourteen my dad was dating a woman named Ming, who would become an important life long friend to me. We went to view an exhibit at Stanford University of the photographer Peter Stackpole. Ming knew Stackpole from a previous photography exhibit she had helped curate some years ago. Stackpole was one of the original photographers at Life Magazine. A great deal of his work displayed in the show was of Hollywood in the 1930's and 40's. A nostalgic even then, I loved the photos. My favorites were all the "snapshots" of the greats of Hollywood in the 1940's at dinner parties and award ceremonies. Alfred Hitchcock, Vivien Leigh, Ginger Rogers, all smiling and laughing, and eating mints and wearing orchids in their hair. I thought they were all magical, but my absolute favorite was one that depicted Joan Fontaine gazing emotionally at her Oscar for Hitchcock's Suspicion. I loved the expression on her face and the quiet it seemed to reflect, among the noisy crowd that sat behind her. That picture stayed with me for a long time afterwards.

About six years later, Stackpole came out with a book of his work in Hollywood and Ming gave me a signed copy for my birthday. I was extatic. I immediately wrote Stackpole a fan letter praising his work. This began a warm correspondence that would last for the next 3 years. It was one of those old school correspondences that don't exist anymore because of e-mail. He typed all of his letters and hand wrote his postcards.

Finally, he invited me for lunch at his home in Novato. He and his wife Hebe were like the magical artistic grandparents I had always searched for. Hebe, herself was an amazing artist and her drawings and paintings dotted their home. We ate lunch and I feasted on Peter's stories of his childhood and experiences in Hollywood. His father had been a prominant sculptor in the Bay Area. Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo lived with him when they came to San Francisco. A Rivera piece hung in the living room, along with his father's work.

Later, Peter took me into his studio and he let me go through the piles of his work dating back into the 40's. He said, "Choose a print. I'd love to give you one." It was like asking a sugar addict to choose from an aray of the best desserts she'd ever seen. I didn't know what to choose! How could I choose? It was between the Fontaine image and an older one he had taken of the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. I hemmed and hawed. Peter leaned in and held up the Fontaine picture. "Why don't you take this one--it seems to mean a lot to you." He was right. It wasn't just the image, but what it symoblized to me.

I have moved across the country many times in the last 15 years. Both Peter and Hebe are gone now, but this photograph still remains in all of the homes I have ever had. Like so many artists, Peter was disatisfied and looked at other people who had been his colleagues--like Dorothea Lang, and felt he had been slighted by posterity. I think he loved that he had a young fan and that is why he was so generous to me.

I had the photograph professionally framed and so the back is sealed, but I know there is a secret message that Peter wrote to me on the back. It said, Thank you for your wonderful friendship. Peter, thank you for your great effort.