Halsman Archive File 18 -Barnes Twins 1944

Lois and Lucille Barnes were identical twins born 3 min apart in 1922. They had briefly danced in Vaudeville traveled to NYC at age 18 with $50 between them to find work. When they were down to $8 Showman George White hired them at first sight for the show at his new super night club The Gay White Way. Life Magazine ran a story on them in 1941 giving details of their journey to Broadway. They were an instant hit in chorus and dance shows where they were paid $45 a week. In 1944 LIFE ran a story on twins, and Halsman’s photo of the 22 years olds ran on a full page. In the 1950s they started to appear in films, trading Broadway for Hollywood.