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SNIVELY Emmeline

 

Date of birth : May 2, 1909, Ohio.

Date of death : September 17, 1975, Huntington Beach, California.

 

Practise:

Owner and manager of the Blue Book Modeling Agency, located at the Ambassador Hotel, 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.

 

Portrait 

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Story

Native to England.

With her mother's complicity, Emma, she ran her business energetically, with a mix of mistrust and humor, elegance and perceptiveness, or even cynicism towards the dangers moral as well as material of the modelling life. 

In 1937 she opened the agency in Westwood under the name of "Village School" and ran it until 1943.

 
In January 1944 she settled at the Ambassador Hotel, on Sunset Boulevard, where she made her activity prosper and set up the Blue Book Modeling Agency :

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She educated the girls to "the movie careers and learn them to pose in front of a lens, with individualized advices to take advantage of their charm and beauty".

On August 2, 1945 Norma Jeane signed her contract with the Blue Book Modeling Agency; she was aged 19 and wore a white dress with an orange yoke and white suede shoes.

 
At that time, Emmeline Snively had about 20 models in her agency. Many of the girls wanted to become movie stars because the models weren't well paid in Los Angeles. Their purpose was to work in New Yotk City, or to get a contract for a movie.

 

Norma Jeane's file:

     - stature : 1m65

     - weight : 53kg

     - measurements : 91-60-86

     - size : 40

     - hair color : medium blonde ("too much curled and unruly, discoloring and perm recommended")

     - eye color : blue

     - teeth perfect

     - knows a little dancing and singing.

Part of the file : 

 

Norma Jeane paid 25$ to have her picture in the agency catalog.

She assiduously attended make-up and beauty cares lessons with Maria Smith, fashion lesson with Mrs Gavin Beardsley and charm school with Miss Snively.

 

September 1945, at the Ambassador Hotel :

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April 1946, at the Ambassador Hotel :

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Fashion show

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The lessons cost 100$; the first payment was deduced from her first salary : she worked as a receptionist, in September 1945, for an exhibition organized by the Holga Steel Company att the Pan Pacific Auditorium (7600 Beverly Boulevard); she worked 10 days for 100$ :

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Then, she posed for 2 days for the Montgomery Ward clothes catalog and paraded for the Hollywood Fashion Show.

 
She was sent to fashion magazines editors to make the covers of magazines and publicity agencies; in the space of 6 months (in 1946) she was on the cover of many magazines as Peek, See, US camera, Parade, Glamorous models, Personal romances, Pageant, Laff :

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After this excessive success, the offers dried up for the 6 following months; actually the magazines were afraid of seeing her too much. 

In 1946 Emmeline Snively put her in touch with her frriend Helen Ainsworth.

 

In 1954 they met again when Marilyn invited her on the set of "There's No Business Like Show Business" :

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 Letter to Marilyn dated June 31, 1958 :.

On August 8, 1962, she attended Marilyn's funerals at the Westwood Village :,

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