Cecil Beaton
(1904-1980), Photographer, designer and writerSitter associated with 360 portraits
Artist associated with 1114 portraits
Cecil Beaton was one of the leading British photographers of the twentieth century. Beaton's early studio portraits of debutantes and celebrities often involved elaborate theatrical backdrops, and helped define the image of the 'Bright young thing'. Beaton was also an acclaimed designer for film and the stage, including My Fair Lady (1956), the musical based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion. He won three Oscars for costume and art direction for the film version of My Fair Lady (1965) and for Gigi (1958). A major retrospective of Beaton's portraits in 1968 was the first exhibition the National Portrait Gallery had devoted to a photographer.
More on Beaton: Cecil Beaton's Bright Young Things
by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print, December 1926
NPG P868
by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print, late 1920s
NPG P352
Lady Cynthia Blanche Mosley (née Curzon)
by Cecil Beaton
gelatin silver print, 1929
NPG P1353
by Cecil Beaton
pencil, 1930s?
NPG 6231
by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1930
NPG P869(3)
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print on card mount, 1934
NPG P1041
by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1936
NPG P869(17)
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor; Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII)
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 2 June 1937
NPG P259
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor; Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII)
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 2 June 1937
NPG P260
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor; Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII)
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 2 June 1937
NPG P264
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor; Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII)
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 2 June 1937
NPG P265
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.