Rich with history his daughters cultivated & weaved a story that was so impactful. A photographer myself I found such inspiration for the arts. Digging into the history of a well lived life a story full of promise & creation emerges.

I really enjoyed reading this book. While watching the movie Seabiscuit the authors were surprised to see a photograph of their father. While trying to discover the background of the photo they discover who their father really was and what a story it is. Their father was a model and then formed his own agency. His agency and his models were very successful and popular. And then he walked away from it all and started a family. Lots of illustrations are included. And the mystery of the Seabiscuit photo is explored. The book is very well written and easy to read. I learned a lot reading it. Enjoy

Lovingly researched by his daughters, The Merchant of Venus shines a light on the life of Walter Thornton. There were many things they did not know about their father's past and watching the movie Sea Biscuit, they saw a photo of their dad during the great depression. This began a long journey to unravel all the mysteries of their father's life and boy what an adventure he had! Not only had he acted in silent films and posed as a model, he ended up forming his own agency with many later to become very famous Hollywood actresses. We learn about the ups and downs of his career and along the way, we are along for a very entertaining and enjoyable ride. His daughters were persistent and I admire the diligence they showed to learn about their father -- it's actually quite inspirational.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tile House Publishing, LLC for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

Walter Clarence Thornton (April 3, 1903 – May 14, 1990) was orphaned and enlisted in the Army to fight in WWI at just 14yo.Thornton was given an honorary discharge for "ineligibility",and worked as a bricklayer.In 1925, illustrator Georgia Warren spotted Walter Thornton on a park bench in NYC.She suggested he model.He signed on with The John Robert Powers Agency.He was known in the tight-knit artists' Greenwich Village community in the late 1920s as "The Profile." He posed for leading artists, illustrators, and photographers, including Norman Rockwell,Neysa McMein,John La Gatta etc.In 1928,Thornton created a "head factory" where he hand-crafted and sold plaster copies of his own head until 1931.Thornton expanded his business to become the nation's first full service modeling agency in 1929.His agency was located in the new Chrysler Building,and he became known for The Bankrupt Investor image that showed a man selling his Chrysler car due to the Wall Street Stock Market Crash.The Walter Thornton Model Agency was a prominent presence in the world of beauty at the beginning of photographic modelling.Dale Carnegie wrote that Walter's success was because he originated a new idea; something no one had thought of before. And stuck to it till he put it over.The Walter Thornton Agency represented many models such as Susan Hayward, Grace Kelly, Lauren Bacall, Arlene Dahl,Lizabeth Scott,The Faithfull sisters,Toni Eden,Jean Muir,Joseph Cotten etc.During WWII,Thornton's agency created pin-up models to boost military morale.Thornton opened charm schools in Canada.Thornton ran a stock photo publication of children,and represented his own child models under Just Kids Models.In the early 1950s,Walter's name and reputation was damaged when he was accused of taking advantage of kids and their parents in a purported child model racket.Walter was tried by tabloids and he sued for libel.Walter left America and moved to Ajijic,Mexico.Walter married model Judy Dolan from 1934-1955,and they had 1 daughter.He remarried to Candelaria Navarro and they had 6 children,and he built a lavish,castle-like home.Walter was an innovative and decent businessman and family man.

I had never heard of Walter Thornton and was curious about this book. I decided to check it out and can’t believe how quickly I was sucked in to the story. After reading about how his family came across an image of their father in a movie I had to know more about Walter Thornton and his life. It’s amazing how well his story was researched and I found myself glued to this story until the end. I knew nothing about the origin of modeling agencies and pinups so it was interesting to gain a deeper understanding of that world. I was also just as horrified as his family when things go left and Walter Thornton has no choice but to defend his life’s work. This book was an eye opening reminder that not everything presented to us is as it seems. I would encourage everyone check out this book if you want a closer look at the struggles of everyone that came before us. Or read it if you’re interested in the modeling world and life during the time of Great Depression.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.