--- description: Here are 25 of the most memorable images of friends—famous and otherwise—from LIFE Magazine's archive of iconic photography. title: International Friendship Day 2017: Best Photos of Friends image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd84850a9c6d4a812/6988d5bb97cdff2a3f6b1982/friendship-day-20.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [photography](/tag/photography/) ## photography Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Celebrate Friendship With LIFE's Most Memorable Pictures of Pals by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) Jul 28, 2017 1:00 PM CUT  Archery providing entertainment for a group of friends at a teenage party, 1956. Archery providing entertainment for a group of friends at a teenage party, 1956.Yale Joel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) Jul 28, 2017 1:00 PM CUT Looking at this survey of 25 of the best photos of BFFs from LIFE Magazine’s archive of iconic 20th-century photography, one fact is immediately clear: whether you’re the biggest star in the world or just an average kid, a true friendship is easy to recognize. And if there’s any lesson from the pictures of headline-worthy individuals with their friends, it’s that there’s nothing like a day with a friend to make you let down your guard. For Rita Hayworth in 1940, that meant [packing up jelly sandwiches](https://books.google.com/books?id=1j8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA58&dq=%22rita+hayworth%22+minerva&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHotumhKjVAhVH2SYKHbDOBbwQ6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=%22rita%20hayworth%22%20minerva&f=false "undefined") for a bicycle picnic. For Lauren Bacall, it meant pictured gabbing with girlfriends in her hotel suite at the Gotham in Manhattan — a meaningful location, as LIFE [explained](https://books.google.com/books?id=8UkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA104&dq=lauren+bacall+with+friends+at+the+gotham+hotel&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi02Za1iqjVAhWH0iYKHbVLAxgQ6AEIJDAA#v=onepage&q=gotham&f=false "undefined") in 1945, because she and her friends had gone there as teens to gawk at celebrities. They had once followed Bette Davis into an elevator and had also been thrown out for trying to sneak into a party, which drove Bacall to announced that when _she_ was famous, she would stay there. (“She not only did that when she and [Bogart](http://time.com/3852221/bacall-bogart-wedding/ "undefined") came to New York in February,” the article noted, “but brought along her dog Droopy, an elderly spaniel, despite a house rule prohibiting dogs in the hotel.”) And for Jimmy Stewart, it meant returning to his roots, bass fishing with a friend in for a 1945 [series](https://books.google.com/books?id=3EkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA126&dq=%22jimmy+stewart%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjNmOqohqjVAhWIeCYKHfq0Bz4Q6AEIQDAG#v=onepage&q=%22jimmy%20stewart%22&f=false "undefined") on the entertainer coming home to Indiana, Penn., after four years as an Army [bomber pilot](http://www.historynet.com/mr-stewart-goes-to-war.htm "undefined") during World War II. Jimmy “did not catch any fish but enjoyed himself anyway,” LIFE reported. And for renowned jazz musicians Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Carter, recognizing their friendship was even easier, thanks to a signature handshake, LIFE [noted](https://books.google.com/books?id=dEoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA138&dq=gillespie+bebop+greeting&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiR8Oq1harVAhXJ4iYKHRZaBJsQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=gillespie%20bebop%20greeting&f=false "undefined") in 1948 was often imitated by the devotees of their music. Here are the steps, in case you want to practice with any of your close pals for the U.N.-designated [International Day of Friendship](http://www.un.org/en/events/friendshipday/ "undefined") on Sunday:   Actress Rita Hayworth (2R) riding bikes with her friends Minerva Griswold, Jane Hopkins and Virginia Hovey, 1940. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Friends sitting on a fence singing along to the guitar, 1941. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Stallion trying to make friends with a barn cat, 1943. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A Scotch tommy making friends with a little Dutch girl, 1944. George Rodger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Jimmy Stewart (R) bass fishing with his friend Clyde "Woodie" Woodward, upon his return from WWII, 1945. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Kindergarten children playing in Hawaii, 1945. Eliot Elisofon—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Lauren Bacall with friends at the Gotham Hotel, 1945. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Boy And His Dog, Oskallsa, LA, 1945. Myron Davis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Joan Caulfield (C) and friends enjoying the sun while a reporter interviews her, 1946. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Suzy Creech and friend, typical 10 year-old girls known as "pigtailers" playing "Red Riding Hood," 1946. Frank Scherschel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Teenagers dancing and socializing at a party, 1947. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  War veteran Donald Sonius (R), an Iowa Univ. student, holding the hand of his daughter Karen with his friend and fellow veteran student Charles Smayda. Margaret Bourke-White—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  "Bebop" jazzman Dizzy Gillespie, showing his friend Benny Carter how to do a special handshake greeting, 1948. Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Donald, the dog-loving duck, hates water but is taking a ride on the back of his swimming pal Rusty, the cocker spaniel, 1949. Loomis Dean—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Good friends Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift having fun on a studio lot, 1950. Peter Stackpole—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Young Richard Dale (L) beginning to adjust to his new environment when he finds a new friend, Ernest, during chapel services at boy's ranch. 1951. Ed Clark—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Friends from the Children's School of Modern Dancing, playing at the beach, 1953. Lisa Larsen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Former Confederate soldier John Salling, estimated to be 106 years old, with some friends in Scott County, 1953. Allan Grant—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Baby chimpanzee holding a kitten at Dr. Albert Schweitzer's hospital, 1954. W. Eugene Smith—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Archery providing entertainment for a group of friends at a teenage party, 1956. Yale Joel—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Two young girls playing and washing their doll clothes, 1957. John Dominis—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Hempstead High School seniors roaring with laughter as they look over pictures in their newly published yearbook, 1958. Gordon Parks—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Judge John D. Voelker relaxing with friends in a tavern, 1958. Al Fenn—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Sophia Loren with her pal, LIFE photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1961. Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Friends taking a walk on a typical summer day, 1962. Robert W. Kelley—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4858551/friendship-day-photos/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4858551/friendship-day-photos/"},"headline":"Celebrate Friendship With LIFE's Most Memorable Pictures of Pals","datePublished":"2017-07-28T13:00:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:50:19.927Z","description":"See 25 of the most memorable images of friends—famous and otherwise—from LIFE Magazine's archive of iconic photography","url":"https://time.com/4858551/friendship-day-photos/","keywords":["photography","LIFE Magazine"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd84850a9c6d4a812/6988d5bb97cdff2a3f6b1982/friendship-day-20.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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