200 unpublished Sophia Loren portraits teach us the importance of trust between photographers and their subjects
January 12, 2026
When Alfred Eisenstaedt, one of Life‘s original four staff photographers, first shot Sophia Loren for the magazine, she was already on the cusp of international stardom.
Born Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone in 1934, the actress had risen from working as an extra to leading lady. By 1961, she was establishing herself as a glamorous icon and a serious actress in equal measure…