40 Beautiful Photos Of Old Hollywood Actresses That Inspires Feminism

Old Hollywood was famed for its glitz and glamour, and for stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. The Golden Age of Hollywood was a period between the 1920s and 1960s when the studio system prevailed, which meant that the Big Five companies controlled the film industry and the stars with whom they had relationships. This would be unthinkable in today's world of individuality and independence.
However, Old Hollywood left such an indelible imprint on our culture that its legacy lives on through the hundreds of legendary films, famous photos, and music produced during that era.
Take a look at these 36 stunning photographs of female cinema and music icons. The photos, famous or notorious, lesser-known or really iconic, remind us of a moment that has captivated future generations.

#1 Katharine Hepburn in the pilot's seat of an airplane.

Source: Getty Images / Stringer

#2 Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, and Marilyn Monroe on the set of How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).

Source: Earl Theisen Collection / Getty Images

#3 Rita Hayworth in front of her own photographs.

Source: George Rinhart/Corbis/Contributor via Getty Images

#4 Rita Moreno jumping on October 5, 1951.

Source: Graphic House/Archive Photos / Getty Images

#5 Jane Russell poses for Harper's Bazaar Magazine in 1950.

Source: Genevieve Naylor/Corbis via Getty Images

#6 Elizabeth Taylor tanning on the set of Suddenly Last Summer in Spain (1959).

Source: George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images

#7 In 1954, Audrey Hepburn was golfing in Switzerland.

Source: Graphic House/Archive Photos / Getty Images

#8 Veronica Lake dressed in western attire.

Source: Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images

#9 Gary Cooper pours a drink for Mae West.

Source: Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

#10 Carole Lombard on horseback in 1935.

Source: John Kobal Foundation / Getty Images

#11 Dorothy Dandridge looks in the mirror on April 11, 1956.

Source: Keystone/Hulton Archive / Getty Images

#12 Lana Turner painting.

Source: Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

#13 1935, Olivia de Havilland near the sea.

Source: Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos / Getty Images

#14 Debbie Reynolds on stage in 1958.

Source: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

#15 Judy Garland polishing her automobile during filming The Wizard of Oz.

Source: Frederic Lewis/Archive Photos / Getty Images

#16 Natalie Wood stands on Steve Rowland's shoulders on a Malibu beach, July 15, 1956.

Source: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

#17 Mary Pickford poses for a photograph with a camera.

Source: Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

#18 Anna May Wong poses for a studio photo.

Source: Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

#19 Ava Gardner leaping over a tennis net in the 1940s.

Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

#20 In 1951, Jane Russell and Irene Dunne were talking with Marie Wilson in the background.

Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

#21 Merle Oberon at the helm of a speedboat.

Source: Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

#22 Mae West is surrounded by fans in London, September 17, 1947.

Source: George Stroud/Express / Getty Images

#23 Grace Kelly barefoot in the woods.

Source: API/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

#24 Katharine Hepburn disguised as a man for Sylvia Scarlett (1935).

Source: Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

#25 On set, Hedy Lamarr is sketched by director Jean Negulesco.

Source: Jerry Cooke/Corbis via Getty Images

#26 On September 26, 1948, Ingrid Bergman accepted an award for "The Best Feminine Performance" in front of Winged Victory of Samothrace in Paris.

Source: KEYSTONE-FRANCE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

#27 Audrey Hepburn poses for a press photo for Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961.

Source: Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

#28 Sophia Loren pushing her automobile, 1956

Source: Mondadori Portfolio / Contributor/Carlo Bavagnoli/Mondadori via Getty Images

#29 Carole Lombard, dressed in a pantsuit, sits on the side of an airplane, sometime in 1935.

Source: John Kobal Foundation / Getty Images

#30 At the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, Dorothy Dandridge poses in front of a poster for Carmen Jones,

Source: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

#31 Janet Leigh fixing Elizabeth Taylor's hair bow on the set of Little Women (1949).

Source: MGM/Courtesy of Getty Images

#32 Desilu Productions Inc. president Lucille Ball speaks at the company's annual stockholder meeting.

Source: Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Contributor / Getty Images

#33 Joan Crawford running.

Source: Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

#34 Marilyn Monroe's cigarette is lit by Laurence Olivier, July 17, 1956.

Source: Harry Kerr/BIPs / Getty Images

#35 Jayne Mansfield in a room full of magazine covers of herself.

Source: Bettmann / Bettmann Archive / Getty Images

#36 Marlene Dietrich arrives at a train station in Paris, May 19, 1933.

Source: Keystone-france / Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images