The Real Story Behind The Iconic ‘Torch Lady’ From Columbia Pictures

If you’ve ever watched a movie by Columbia Pictures then you know who the Torch Lady is—the woman who appears at the very beginning of every movie. The original photo was born in the apartment of Pulitzer Prize-winning New Orleans photographer Kathy Anderson back in 1991.

The final version that we see before Columbia Pictures movies is actually a painting, but the concept all began with a simple photo. It really all started when Anderson’s friend, illustrator Michael J. Deas, asked the photographer to shoot a reference photo for a painting. No one would even begin to understand how huge it would all become.

The story behind the famous Torch Lady

“Michael had a vision for the piece,” Anderson says to PetaPixel. “I created a soft light that would accentuate every fold in the material and flatter the model. “My penchant for the large softbox light modifiers [a Chimera softbox on Dynalite strobes] proved perfect for the assignment.”

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During this time, Anderson worked at the New Orleans newspaper, The Times-Picayune. Deas needed a model to pose and he decided to ask the photographer’s coworker at the paper, Jenny Joseph. On the day of the shoot, on set were sheets, fabric, a flag, and a small lamp with a light bulb sticking out of the top—and it resembled a torch, hence the “Torch Lady.”

When you combine a simple studio apartment, a Polaroid back on the Hasselblad camera, and some basic props, you get a fantastic starting point for the painting. Several Polaroids were taken, and according to PetaPixel, Jenny hasn’t modeled again since that day.

“During the shoot, Jenny asked if she could sit down for a minute,” the photographer says. “I shot one frame of her seated, which may be my favorite image from the shoot. But after chatting for a minute, she confided that she was pregnant. After congratulating her, we resumed shooting, but I was worried about her standing on the box.”

Even if the photo didn’t go on to become an iconic part of movie history, Anderson says it would have forever been a special place in her heart. “Even if the ‘Torch Lady’ painting had not become famous, the photo shoot would hold a special place in my heart, maybe because it took place in my living room, with my good friends, and with those perfect croissants. I will always remember this day fondly.”