MGM has its roaring lion, Universal Studios has its faraway picture of planet earth, and Paramount has a snowcapped mountain – but none are more iconic than the Columbia Pictures ‘Torch Lady,’ whose flame has been lighting the way for moviegoers since 1924.
The untold origin story behind the modern logo we know today began in 1991, in the makeshift New Orleans studio apartment of local photographer, Kathy Anderson.
Anderson was asked by her artist friend Michael Deas to shoot a reference photo for a painting that ‘could potentially be used as the new logo’ for the legendary film studio.
‘I had no idea how iconic the image would become,’ she told DailyMail.com.
The iconic Columba Pictures film logo featuring the ‘Torch Lady’ was inspired by a 1991 photo taken by New Orleans based photographer, Kathy Anderson who was asked by her artist friend Michael Deas to shoot a reference photo for a painting that ‘could potentially be used as the new logo’ for the legendary film studio
Anderson asked her co-worker Jenny Joseph to model for the photos and turned her apartment into a makeshift studio. They created her look using bedsheets, fabric and a lamp that resembled a torch
At the time, Anderson was working as a staff photographer at the New Orleans newspaper, The Times-Picayune, and she asked her colleague, Jenny Joseph to stand-in as Lady Columbia.
‘Joseph was not a professional model,’ said Anderson. ‘Instead, she was a graphic artist and had never modeled before or since that day.’ She posed for the photos while on her lunchbreak.
Deas, whose oil paintings have been used on U.S. postage stamps and bestselling books, came over to Anderson’s apartment with a box full of various props, including sheets, fabric, an American flag, and a small lamp with a lightbulb that vaguely resembled a torch.
‘I believe the painting was done on spec,’ she recalled to DailyMail.com.
After moving around the dining room table, Anderson set up a gray mottled backdrop with some boxes on the floor to let the fabric pool to the ground.
Joseph was meticulously draped in white bedsheets to mimic a Roman goddess and the fabric was constantly rearranged for the best outcome. They tried a few looks with an American flag draped over one shoulder, but ultimately chose the blue fabric.
She attached a Polaroid back on her Hasselblad camera to snap some test-shots while perfecting the softbox lighting to accentuate the folds in the fabric.
Anderson says the soft lighting created the gentle sunrise light the painter envisioned and was meant to evoke a sense of beauty and timelessness.
‘During the shoot, Jenny asked if she could sit down for a minute,’ says the photographer. ‘I shot one frame of her seated, which may be my favorite image from the shoot.’ After chatting for a minute, Joseph confided that she was pregnant.
‘During the shoot, Jenny asked if she could sit down for a minute,’ says the photographer. ‘I shot one frame of her seated, which may be my favorite image from the shoot.’ After chatting for a minute, Joseph confided that she was pregnant
Anderson says, the soft lighting was meant to evoke a sense of beauty and timelessness. Often posed with the flag draped around her, ‘Columbia’ came to be associated as the female personification of the United States during the 18th century. She fell out of popularity when Lady Liberty was erected
The original Columbia Pictures logo was created in 1924. The name ‘Columbia’ was selected as a tribute to the early American female personification of the United States who stood for ideals like enlightenment and liberty. Over the years, many notable women have posed as Lady Columbia in various incarnations of the logo, some of them have been notable actresses like Evelyn Venable, Claudia Dell and Amelia Batchler
Lady Columbia faded in popularity once the Statue of Liberty went up and became the new female symbol of America
In 1924, the Columbia Pictures rebranded from its previous name Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales and opted for a new logo. They selected the name ‘Columbia’ as a tribute to the early American female personification of the United States who stood for ideals like freedom and enlightenment (hence the torch).
Lady Columbia faded in popularity once the Statue of Liberty went up and became the new female symbol of America.
Over the years, many notable women have posed as Lady Columbia in various incarnations of the logo. Some of them have been notable actresses like Evelyn Venable, Claudia Dell and Amelia Batchler.
When Sony Studios bought Columbia Pictures in 1991, they decided they needed a brand revamp and hired Michael Deas to update the logo. ‘I believe the painting was done on spec,’ recalled Anderson.
The image has since gone on to become a ubiquitous motif in American visual culture.
The photographer says she stays in touch with Jenny Joseph and the two like to send each other memes of the logo online. ‘Then we both have a good laugh.’
‘She is just as surprised as I am at the continued interest in it.’
The photographer has since gone on to win a Pulitzer Prize for her coverage Hurricane Katrina. While she is most proud of the 28 years working in print journalism, she says that Lady Columbia ‘is the most famous of my images because of the enormous response from viewers, plus it’s really exciting to see it on the screen at a movie theater.’
