“I am big! It’s the pictures that got small!”

Gloria Swanson, one of the screen goddesses of the silent film era, was born in Chicago on 27 March 1899.

To celebrate the day of her birth, here are three newspaper reports from the Archive which offer a fascinating insight (especially the report that mentions her annual earnings) into her life and career as an actress.

Evening Telegraph – Tuesday 10 September 1929

Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000563/19290910/042/0003

Hull Daily Mail – Wednesday 06 April 1932

Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19320406/042/0005

Gloucestershire Echo – Tuesday 15 May 1934

Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000320/19340515/016/0001