This portrait of actress Gene Tierney is perhaps one of the most recognizable props in the history of film. It was created for the 1944 film Laura, and it actually played a fairly important role in the film itself.

Originally, the wife of the film’s director, Mamoulian, painted a portrait of Tierney. After a few weeks, the director was replaced with Otto Preminger, who did not feel the painting lived up to the mystery and allure that was required for the film. In order to fix the problem, Tierney was photographed by Frank Polony. The final photo was enlarged and brushed over to look like a painting. The portrait and frame were reused again in the 1951 film On the Riviera. In 1954, the photo resurfaced again in Woman’s World, though it appears to be a smaller print rather than the enlarged “painting” created for Laura.

You can read more about this wonderful prop at Film Spectrum or Robs Westek.