The 1950s marked a pivotal era for Baxter. She successfully transitioned from the youthful roles of the 1940s, which culminated in an Oscar for The Razor’s Edge (1946), into a versatile leading lady capable of playing both sophisticated schemers and historical icons.

Baxter began the decade with what remains her most famous role: Eve Harrington in All About Eve (1950). Playing opposite Bette Davis, Baxter delivered a masterclass in subtlety. She portrayed Eve as an ostensibly “mousy” fan who systematically dismantles the life of a Broadway star. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. It redefined her screen persona from the “girl next door” to a formidable, often calculating, intellectual presence.

Throughout the mid-1950s, Baxter resisted being typecast, moving between film noir, Westerns, and massive Technicolor spectacles. In 1953, she starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s I Confess. Playing a woman caught in a blackmail plot involving a priest (Montgomery Clift), she showcased her ability to handle the psychological tension characteristic of the genre.

Her most visually iconic 1950s role was Nefretiri in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956). Dressed in elaborate, vibrant costumes, Baxter brought a campy, high-drama energy to the role that contrasted sharply with her more grounded contemporary work. Her delivery of lines like “Moses, Moses, Moses!” became a permanent fixture in Hollywood pop-culture history.

By the late 1950s, Baxter began to distance herself from the Hollywood “rat race.” In 1960, she married Randolph Galt and famously moved to a remote cattle station in the Australian Outback. This move effectively ended her period as a constant Hollywood headliner, though she would later detail this “pioneer” experience in her acclaimed memoir, Intermission. In the 1950s, however, she remained one of the industry’s most technically proficient and hardworking stars, bridging the gap between the prestige of the 1940s and the evolving spectacle of the 1960s.

The ‘Infantryman’. Corporal M. Smith of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, with his Tommy gun (Thompson submachine gun) at the main Headquarters of the Eighth Army in the San Angelo area. Corporal Smith, a former metal polisher from Birmingham, served in North Africa and Egypt before going to Italy in early 1944. He was involved in the fighting north of Cassino and on the Garigliano River.

The ‘Signal Lineman’. Signalman A. Johnson of P Line Section (No 1) Company, 8th Army Signals, with a role of wire at the main headquarters of the Eighth Army in the San Angelo area of Italy. Signalman Johnson, a former bus conductor from Mill Hill, left England for Egypt in February 1942. He served with the Eighth Army in Egypt until Mareth then went to Sicily, and has been in Italy since October 1943.

The ‘Cook’. Private W.A. Bowen of the Army Catering Corps, preparing potatoes at the main Headquarters of the Eighth Army in the San Angelo area of Italy. Private Bowen, a former painter and decorator, from Lisswerry, Newport, South Wales, served in a Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment before transferring to the Army Catering Corps. He left England in 1941, and served at Tobruk, Benghazi, and Tunis before landing in Italy during September 1943.

The ‘Tankman’. Sergeant A.G. Williams of 17/21 Lancers in the turret of his Sherman tank at the main Headquarters of the Eighth Army in the San Angelo area of Italy. Sergeant Williams from Woodford Bridge, Essex left England in November 1943, landed in North Africa, and from there was sent to Italy.

The ‘Artilleryman’. Gunner J.D. Thomas of the Shropshire Yeomanry closing the breech of a 5.5-inch gun under the camouflage netting at San Vittore, Eighth Army sector. Gunner Thomas, a former farmer from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, left England in 1942 and has seen service in Egypt, Tripoli, and Sicily before coming to Italy where he was involved in all the major battles up to this time.

The ‘Sapper’. Lance Sergeant E.R. Whiting of the Corps of Royal Engineers at the controls of a tractor at the main headquarters of the Eighth Army in the San Angelo area. Lance Sergeant Whiting, a former electrical engineer from Bedford, went to North Africa in May 1943 from where he went on to Sicily before landing in Italy in September 1943 to undertake road building operations.

The ‘Intelligence Officer’. Corporal D.A.R. Reynolds of the Intelligence Branch, working as a draughtsman at the main Eighth Army Headquarters in the San Angelo area. Corporal Reynolds, a former architectural assistant from East Horsley, Surrey, left England in December 1942 for the Middle East. He then went to Tripoli and Sicily and landed in Italy soon after the invasion.

The piece spanned from shoulder to shoulder and was regarded as one of the finest examples of tattooing in America at the time. It featured additional religious text, including a scroll with “The Golden Rule” above the scene and “Love One Another” on the table cloth.

She was tattooed by the legendary Samuel O’Reilly in New York City. Because the work was likely completed before or around the time he patented the electric machine in 1891, it is believed much of the piece was done by hand.

During the Victorian era, tattoos were often viewed as scandalous. Emma and her husband, Frank de Burgh, intentionally chose religious and patriotic motifs to project an image of piety and respectability to their audiences.

To appeal to British crowds during a tour in 1887, Emma falsely claimed her tattoos were done to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. This marketing tactic helped turn the couple into a sensation across Europe.

Emma performed alongside her husband, Frank, whose back featured a massive rendition of the Crucifixion. They also famously had each other’s names tattooed on their torsos as a sign of their love.

The famous Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones sketched her in 1893. He later joked that because she had gained weight, the apostles in the Last Supper tattoo on her back appeared to have “broad grins.”