1940 — Purgatory Waltz

Louise Brooks
Photographed by Charles Bartlett
Promotional Photograph for Brooks Dance Studio
1940 · Wichita, Kansas

Photographed for the second of Brooks' short-lived dance studios, Louise once again donned her trademark bangs, this time looking more like an aristocratic Bettie Page than the androgynous imp of the 20s. The photo also appeared on the cover of her first serious literary effort: a pamphlet of thirty-six pages entitled "The Fundamentals of Good Ballroom Dancing." The booklet was published exclusively in Wichita as a means of advertisement for the Brooks studio. Unfortunately, like the studio, "The Fundamentals of Good Ballroom Dancing" was not what one would deem a wild success. About 500 of the 750 pamphlets found a permanent home in the landfill, and the dance studio would last less than a year.