Elizabeth Taylor washes her dog
Baths are still no fun, even if administered by a starlet
Alex Q. Arbuckle
c. 1949
This photo shoot captures a 17-year-old Elizabeth Taylor giving a bath to her Cocker Spaniel Amy — named for the role that Taylor played in 1949’s Little Women. By the time she was 17, Taylor had already appeared in nearly a dozen films. The violet-eyed starlet landed her breakout role at the age of 12, starring opposite Mickey Rooney in National Velvet (1944) as a young English girl who disguises herself as a male jockey to ride a horse to victory in the Grand National race. Thanks to Taylor's transfixing performance and equestrian experience, the film was a career-launching success. Soon every facet of young Taylor’s life was under the careful management of MGM, which signed her on a seven-year contract with a $750 weekly salary. As she grew from a precocious child actress to a young adult, the studio arranged interviews and photo shoots such as this to cultivate her image as a relatable, normal teen.
