The artist Charles Sheldon occasionally experimented by taking multiple exposures of some of the models he photographed. Here are four examples (with two being double exposures) of the same unknown blonde model. Several of the backdrops feature an array of stars. It would be interesting to know if he made the multiple exposure frames in-camera or more likely-in his darkroom. Can you spot the fingerprints on the bottom two portraits in the grid?

Commentary on images like these from a past auction listing from the now-closed Grapefruit Moon Gallery, which had acquired these original working photographs used as study aids by Sheldon:

There was an envelope within this vast collection that was labeled by Sheldon “Trick Photography” – images were manipulated like this one and most were multiple exposures, so the resulting examples are as conceived.

Charles Gates Sheldon: 1882-1961

American illustrator and amateur photographer.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1882 (1.) and a 1901 graduate of Springfield (MA) High School, where his already accomplished illustrations were featured full-page in The Pnyx class yearbook, Charles Sheldon would go on to become an important American illustrator who embraced photography in aiding his artistic work.

Sheldon is perhaps best known today as the creator of the “Breck Girl”, being hired by Breck shampoo in 1936: …“to draw women for their advertisements. Sheldon’s early portraits for Breck were done in pastels, with a soft focus and halos of light and color surrounding them. He created romantic images of feminine beauty and purity.” (2.)

The following biography and background of the artist is courtesy of the now closed Grapefruit Moon Gallery in Minneapolis, MN, which acquired at an unknown date part of the Charles Sheldon estate, including examples of his original artwork and: “a large suitcase of 5″ by 7″ stills all taken by Charles Sheldon”:

Charles Sheldon was a prolific and gifted early 20th century illustrator who specialized in glamorous portraiture that graced the covers of early movie magazines and advertising in the art nouveau and art deco styles. After studying at the Art Students League, he went to Paris to study under the legendary Alphonse Mucha. Upon his return to America, Sheldon set up a studio at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

In 1918 Sheldon received his first pin-up commission, a series of ads for La Vogue lingerie. He soon began working on advertising campaigns for Fox Footery as well as creating covers for Collier’s Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post and Photoplay.

By 1921 he was contributing high fashion portraits to Woman’s Home Companion and Theater magazine. Famous women all over the world arranged to sit for portraits in his studio in Carnegie Hall in New York.

The pastels he created for Photoplay from 1925 to 1930 included glamorous depictions of Hollywood film stars like Clara Bow, Mae West, Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo, Gilda Gray, Mary Pickford, and numerous other Hollywood enchantresses. Unlike many movie magazine illustrators, who primarily worked off of publicity photos, many of these stars sat for Sheldon personally. Along with his work for Photoplay, the artist worked for Screenland, Movie Classic and Radio Digest magazines.

More on Sheldon’s photographic archive:

Sheldon maintained a studio at Carnegie Hall in New York City during the 1920s-30s, and photographed the glamorous Hollywood film stars of the era for his cover portrait work. Stars who sat for Sheldon include: Jean Harlow, Clara Bow, Marion Davies, Gloria Swanson, Pola Negri, Olive Borden, Mary Pickford, and literally dozens of others. What makes this collection so interesting is these stills were never meant for public consumption, they were taken to be used for his pastel portraiture work. Many are unscripted – Sheldon was an amateur photographer essentially and it is unique to see such glamorous stars posed often times so informally. Part of Sheldon’s talent was a knack for convincing his artist’s models and leading ladies to pose for him partially undressed or fully nude–emulating the spirit of NYC’s Ziegfeld Follies and other burlesque revues which had taken Manhattan by storm during the Roaring 20s.

1. Charles Gates Sheldon: gravestone: Find a Grave memorial accessed January, 2025.
2. Breck Shampoo: history: Wikipedia, accessed January, 2025