Cecil Beaton (1904-1980), Photographer, designer and writer

Sitter associated with 305 portraits
Artist associated with 995 portraits
Photographer and designer. Born in Hampstead, Beaton's career as a portrait photographer took off after meeting the Sitwells in 1926. His photographs of them led to his employment with Vogue magazine in London and New York. During the war he worked for the Ministry of Information, recording the war in Britain, the Middle and Far East. After the war he developed as a designer for stage, film, ballet and opera, working with Noel Coward and others. His most famous production was My Fair Lady (1956), the musical based on Shaw's Pygmalion. He was awarded two Oscars for the film version in 1965.