When Shirley Temple was at the height of her fame, at not quite six years old, her parents, George and Gertrude
Temple, invited photographer Adelbert Bartlett into their home. Apparently he was not allowed to take pictures of Shirley herself, but he photographed the house, her bedroom, her playhouse, and her backyard.
- George and Gertrude Temple residence, Santa Monica, 1934
She had small wooden animals...
...a large lollipop...
...and a charming playhouse.
Two of the photos are nearly identical, but someone has switched the places of the doll and the teddy bear.
The change was probably made by Mr. Bartlett, to capture the reflection of the doll in the mirror…
…but it’s nice to imagine Shirley, on the day of the photographer’s visit, arranging her room to suit her own preferences.
Becky Spiro
UCLA Library Cataloging & Metadata Center
I wanted to thank you for this great read!! This blog is fantastic.