A Muse Thing

Throughout the Twenties, the paper ran a standing feature called Amusements, which covered the theatrical going-ons in New York. It also featured the head shots of actors and actresses headlining that week, many of whom were still years away from their cinematic big break.

Among those pictured in these early pages of WWD: Norma Shearer, Barbara Stanwyck, Mae West, Dolores del Río, Adele and Fred Astaire, Jeanette MacDonald, Lillian Gish, Béla Lugosi, Gloria Swanson, Humphrey Bogart, Charlie Chaplin, a quartet of suave-looking Marx Brothers and Houdini.