200 unpublished Sophia Loren portraits teach us the importance of trust between photographers and their subjects

Sophia Loren is seen in a profile view sitting in the back of a car, wearing a voluminous fur-trimmed coat and a pussy-bow blouse.

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, epitomizing the height of Italian glamour.