Tough to find vintage 9x7-inch black and white glamour portrait, boldly signed and inscribed in blue fountain pen in the 1930s. In fine condition for its age, with a minor crease to the upper right-hand corner tip and some gentle edgewear. Fascinating leading lady Miriam Hopkins studied to be a dancer, but her first major opportunity with a touring ballet troupe was cut short following an ankle injury. Opting for an acting career, she drew upon her Georgia background to specialize in playing Southern belles, most notably in the 1933 Broadway play "Jezebel." She entered films with 1930's Fast and Loose, exhibiting a histrionic, uninhibited style critics deemed "an acquired taste."  During the early stages of her film career, Hopkins contributed at least two memorable performances: Champagne Ivy, the doomed cockney songstress in the horror classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), and the title role in Becky Sharp (1935). Relatively charming offscreen, Hopkins could be a terror on the set, driving co-stars to distraction with her lateness, lack of concentration and self-centered attitude towards camera angles; she owned the distinction of being one of the few actors ever reprimanded in full view of the production crew by the otherwise gentlemanly Edward G. Robinson. Still, she had her following, and was noteworthy in films like Trouble in Paradise (1932), Old Acquaintance (1943), The Heiress (1949), and The Children's Hour (1961).

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