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 Paul Tanqueray
quarter-plate film negative, 1952
NPG x138320
by Paul Tanqueray
quarter-plate film negative, 1952
NPG x138321
Alfred Lunt; Lynn Fontanne; Cecil Beaton; Noël Coward
by Paul Tanqueray
vintage bromide print, 1952
NPG x40493
Queen Elizabeth II; Cecil Beaton and two assistants (John Drysdale; Ray Harwood)
by Patrick Matthews
bromide print, 2 June 1953
NPG x126167
Cecil Beaton; Kenneth Peacock Tynan
by Paul Tanqueray
vintage bromide print, 1953
NPG x40492
Cecil Beaton; Kenneth Peacock Tynan
by Paul Tanqueray
vintage bromide print, 1953
NPG x40491
Cecil Beaton; Kenneth Peacock Tynan
by Paul Tanqueray
vintage bromide print, 1953
NPG x40490
Kenneth Peacock Tynan; Cecil Beaton
by Paul Tanqueray
vintage bromide print, 1953
NPG x40489
Cecil Beaton; Kenneth Peacock Tynan
by Paul Tanqueray
vintage bromide print, 1953
NPG x40488
by Baron (Sterling Henry Nahum)
toned vintage bromide print, 1954
NPG x40455
by Miss Compton Collier
vintage bromide print, July 1955
NPG x40459
by Miss Compton Collier
vintage bromide print, July 1955
NPG x40460
by Miss Compton Collier
vintage bromide print, July 1955
NPG x40461
by Miss Compton Collier
vintage bromide print, July 1955
NPG x40462
Queen Elizabeth II; Cecil Beaton
by Unknown photographer
10 x 8 inch colour film transparency, 1955
NPG x40655
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40283
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40284
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40285
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print (4 frames), 22 February 1956
NPG x40282
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40280
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40281
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40279
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40278
Cecil Beaton with three actresses
by Cecil Beaton
10 x 8 inch contact print, 1956
NPG x40643
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40660
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40659
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40661
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40664
by Ed Pfizenmaier
2 1/4 inch square contact print, 22 February 1956
NPG x40665
Nancy Beaton; Cecil Beaton; Winifred Leticia Fearnley-Whittingstall (née Chattock)
by Unknown photographer
gelatin silver print, 26 March 1957
NPG x198539
by Lou Jacobs Jr
glossy bromide print, 1957
NPG x40511
Cecil Beaton; Leslie Caron; Maurice Chevalier
by Associated Press
glossy bromide print, 1957
NPG x40510
Cecil Beaton with four other students
by Douglas Glass
bromide fibre print, 1958
NPG x40481
by Unknown photographer, for Cecil Beaton
bromide contact print, 1959
NPG x40295
Cecil Beaton with Ida Kar's portrait of Nikogos Nikogosyan
by Ida Kar
vintage bromide print, 1960
NPG x88608
by Ida Kar
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1960
NPG x132963
by Ida Kar
vintage bromide print, 1960
NPG x134149
by Ida Kar
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1960
NPG x136361
by Unknown photographer
contact sheet of 32 frames, 1962
NPG x40522
by Unknown photographer
contact sheet of 36 frames, 1962
NPG x40523
by Unknown photographer
bromide press print, 27 June 1962
NPG x126291
by Unknown photographer
bromide print, 1963
NPG x40518
by Unknown photographer
bromide fibre print, 1963
NPG x40512
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.