2-548-193 - © Fine Art Images/Heritage Images

Vera Kholodnaya, Russian silent film actress, 1917. It is thought that Vera Kholodnaya (1893-1919) may have appereared in between 50 and 100 films, although only 5 still exist today. Official records state that she died from Spanish flu, although it has been suggested that she was poisoned by the French ambassador, with whom she was allegedly having an affair, who believed she was a Bolshevik spy. From a private collection.