Donna Reed (born Donna Belle Mullenger) was a prominent film and television actress. She is best known for her role as Mary Hatch Bailey in the holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and for her portrayal of the quintessential 1950s/60s housewife in the long-running sitcom The Donna Reed Show. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in From Here to Eternity (1953).
The photo is a classic black-and-white publicity headshot. These were standard promotional tools used by Hollywood studios to market their stars to the press and public. In this shot, she is posed in a characteristic "glamour" style—leaning on her hand with a soft, bright lighting setup that emphasizes her features.
While the exact location of this specific photo is not noted, it was almost certainly taken in a professional photography studio in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Major studios like MGM, Columbia, or Paramount (all of whom she worked with) maintained dedicated portrait galleries where contract players were photographed.
Based on her hairstyle and the overall photographic style, this image likely dates back to the late 1940s or early 1950s. This period marked the height of her film career, just before she transitioned into being a major television star in 1958.