Jenny Joseph, the face behind Columbia Pictures’ iconic torch logo, sat down with Kristian Harrison at the InterContinental Bahrain to share her extraordinary tale of how one of the world’s most recognisable women has deep roots in the Kingdom.
When Ms. Joseph first arrived in the Middle East from her native UK in the 1980s, she never imagined the region would bookend such a defining part of her life. Back then, she was working in the marketing department at Saudi Aramco, creating public service adverts. Today, she finds herself once again in the Gulf – this time in Bahrain, visiting family.
It was during her time in Saudi Arabia that Ms. Joseph met her husband, Michael, then a geophysicist. “Aramco was much smaller then. The expat community was close-knit, and we had so much fun – dinners, trips to Half Moon Bay, and even quick hops to Bahrain before the causeway opened,” she recalls. After a few years apart, the two reunited in the UK and were married in Vienna in 1987, following a seaside proposal in Maine, where Michael’s family still owns a cherished beach house.
Fast forward more than three decades, and Ms. Joseph is reflecting on a life of creative chance and quiet legacy. She is, quite literally, the face of Columbia Pictures. While working in New Orleans in the early ’90s, she agreed to pose for artist Michael Deas during a lunch break at The Times-Picayune newspaper where she worked. The shoot with the photographer, Kathy Anderson, who would later become a good friend, took 15 minutes. “It was never an ambition of mine,” she admits. “Michael just asked if I’d sit in as a model. I had no idea what it would become.”
That impromptu image became the foundation of Columbia Pictures’ enduring logo – a modern version of the torch-bearing woman, evoking both grace and strength. “I wouldn’t say I see myself as a symbol,” Ms. Joseph says. “It’s more of a graphic, like a logo. But I do feel proud to have been part of something so iconic.”
In the years since, she’s watched with quiet amusement as her likeness has been animated, parodied and preserved. “I love the humorous versions people do – they’re all in good spirit,” she says. “When I used to tell my kids that it was me, they didn’t believe me and thought it was a family fable – until we brought out the original contact sheet of photos!”
Now visiting Bahrain – Ms. Joseph is enjoying reconnecting with the region that played such a pivotal role in her personal story. “It’s changed so much. Everything’s modernised, but there’s still that same welcoming spirit,” she says.
With her family set to grow again soon, she reflects on this meaningful stop. “It feels like things have come full circle,” says Ms. Joseph. “Michael and I met here all those years ago. Life is funny that way.”
And in true Bahraini fashion, she adds with a smile: “A friend of a friend brought us here, toured us around, and made us feel at home. That’s just how it is here.”
