Bill Brandt Portraits
7 May – 22 August 1982
Press Notice
Bill Brandt has for some time been recognised as one of the established masters of British photography. This exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery is the first major retrospective devoted entirely to his portraits: from the earliest, taken while an assistant to Man Ray in Paris in the late 1920s, to the famous series of poets photographed for Lilliput and Picture Post in the war years. There are also examples of his later work, and many recent portraits which will be seen for the first time.
The sequence of approximately 100 portraits reveals the same qualities of formal inventiveness and imaginative insight as his scenes of social life and landscapes. Among his sitters are many of the most famous writers, artists, musicians and actors of the last 50 years, people for whom he feels a natural affinity, including Ezra Pound, Benjamin Britten, Graham Greene, Edith and Osbert Sitwell, Sir Alec Guinness, Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon and Harold Pinter.
Handlist
(Please note: sitters’ biographical dates have been updated from the original hand list. Updated December 2012).
1. Ezra Pound (1885-1972), 1928, Paris
American poet, champion of the avant-garde
He encouraged Brandt to study with Man Ray.
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2. William Empson (1906-1984), 1940,Bermondsey, London
Poet, critic and professor of English Literature
Published Lilliput, December 1941
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3. Cecil Day-Lewis (1904-72), 1941
Poet and writer; associated with a group of left-wing thirties poets
Published Lilliput, December 1941
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4. Alun Lewis (1915-44), 1941
An outstanding poet of the Second World War, killed in Burma
Published Lilliput, December 1941
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5. Robert Graves (1895-1985), 1941, Graves’ cottage, Churston, Devon
Poet and writer; author of Goodbye to All That (1929), and I Claudius (1934).
Published Picture Post, 1941, and Lilliput, November 1949
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6. Louis MacNeice (1907-1963), 1941,Highgate, London
Associated with a group of left-wing thirties poets. Also wrote radio plays and other works
A variant published Lilliput, December 1941
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7. J.B. Priestley (1894-1984), 1941, taken in the grounds of a Bournemouth hotel.
Prolific novelist, writer and broadcaster
Published Picture Post, 21 June 1941
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8. Stephen Spender (1909-1995), 1941,taken in the office of the literary magazine Horizon, in London
Poet, critic and professor of English literature
Published Lilliput, December 1941
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9. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953), 1941,Salisbury public house, London
Poet; famous for his rich use of language and complex imagery
Published Lilliput, December 1941
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10. Sir Osbert Lancaster (1908-1986), 1942
Cartoonist, illustrator, designer and writer
Published Lilliput, March 1943, and Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., July 1945
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11. Dylan and Caitlin Thomas, 1944,taken in their house in Manresa Road, Chelsea
Published Lilliput, August 1944
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12. Cecil Beaton (1904-1980), 1945
Photographer, designer and writer
Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., October 1953
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13. Pablo Casals (1876-1973), 1945,London
Violoncellist, composer and conductor
Published Harper’s Bazaar, October 1945
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14. John Piper (1903-1992), 1945, Henley
Artist and designer
Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., July 1945, and Lilliput, June 1948
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15. Edith Sitwell (1887-1964) with her two brothers, 1945, Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire
Poet and personality
Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., October 1948
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16. Edith and Osbert Sitwell (1892-1969), 1945, Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire, in front of a family group by J.S. Sargent
The poetess with her brother, author of verse, short stories, novels and a famous autobiography
Published Lilliput, November 1949
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17. Graham Sutherland (1903-1980), 1945,Kent
Artist, one of the masters of modern British painting, designed tapestry for Coventry Cathedral
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18. Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973), 1946, London
Novelist; author of The House in Paris and The Death of the Heart (both 1935) Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., April 1946, and Lilliput, November 1949
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19. Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), 1946,Glyndebourne
Foremost modern British composer
Published Lilliput, September 1946
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20. Norman Dougals (1868-1952), 1946
Novelist and essayist; author of South Wind (1917)
Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., July 1949, and Lilliput, November 1949
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21. Constant Lambert (1905-1951), 1946,London
Composer, conductor and critic
Published Lilliput, September 1946
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22. Henry Moore (1908-1986), 1946, taken in his studio at Much Hadham, Hertfordshire
The greatest living British sculptor and a pioneer of modern art
Published Lilliput, September 1946
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23. Alan Rawsthorne (1905-1971), c.1946,Bayswater, London
Composer
Published Lilliput, September 1946
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24. Sir Michael Tippett (1905-1998), 1946,Oxted, Surrey
Composer, among his best-known works are A Child of Our Time (1944) and The Midsummer Marriage (1952)
Published Lilliput, September 1946
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25. Jack Yeats (1871-1957), 1946,Dublin
Irish artist
Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y.
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26. E.M. Forster (1879-1970), 1947, King’s College, Cambridge
Novelist
Published Harper’s Bazaar, July 1949, and Lilliput, November 1949
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27. Celia Johnson (1908-1982), 1947
Actress
Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., February 1952
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28. John (1913-1985) and Roy Boulting (1913-2001), 1948
Twins, two of the leading British film directors and producers
Published Lilliput, February 1949
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29. Graham Greene (1904-1991), 1948,St James’s, London
One of the greatest living English novelists
Published Lilliput, November 1949, and Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., March 1950
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30. Ivon Hitchens (1893-1979), c. 1948
Painter, chiefly of landscapes
Published Lilliput, June 1948
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31. Dame Ivy Compton-Burnett (1884-1969), 1949,taken in her London flat in Cornwall gardens
Novelist
Published Lilliput, November 1949
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32. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966), 1949
Novelist and writer, famous for his brilliant satirical novels of upper-class English society
Published Lilliput, November 1949
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33. Kenneth Tynan (1927-1980), 1951
Writer, dramatist and critic
Literary consultant to the National Theatre
Contributed ‘profiles’ to Harper’s Bazaar, often accompanied by Brandt portraits
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34. Sir Alec Guinness (1914-2000), 1952, Campden Hill, London
One of the great figures of British theatre Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y, April 1952
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35. Dorothy Tutin (1931-2001), 1953, Wimbledon Common
Actress
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36. Georges Braque (1882-1963), 1955,on the beach at Varengeville, Normandy
French artist; with Picasso, creator of Cubism
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37. Edward Gordon Craig (1872-1966), 1955,Vence, South of France
Artist and avant-garde designer
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38. Ben Nicholson (1894-1982), 1956,St Ives, Cornwall
Artist, a pioneer of abstract art in Britain
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39. Ben Nicholson, 1956
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40. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), 1956, ‘La Californie,’ Cannes.
The most famous modern artist, with Braque, creator of Cubism
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41. A.J.P. Taylor (1906-1990), 1957, Oxford.
Historian and journalist, famous for his brilliant and controversial studies of modern history
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42. Harold Pinter (1930-2008), 1961, Battersea, London
Actor, playwright and director
Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., March 1962
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43. Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985), 1962, Col de Vence, South of France
French artist
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44. Franco Zeffirelli (1923-), 1962,Ennismore Gardens, London
Opera, film and theatrical producer and designer
Published in Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., February 1963
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45. Daisy Ashford (1883-1972), 1963
Author of The Young Visitors, a children’s classic, written when she was nine, but not published until 1919
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46. Francis Bacon (1909-1992), 1963, Primrose Hill, London.
Artist, possibly the greatest living British painter
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47. Peter Brook (1925-), 1963
Film and stage director
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48. Laurie Lee (1914-1997), 1963
Poet and author of Cider with Rosie (1969)
Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., April 1964
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49. Iris Murdoch (1919-1999), 1963,Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire
Novelist, philosopher and Oxford don
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50. Donald Pleasence (1919- 1995), 1963
Actor
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51. Peter Sellers (1925-1980), 1963, taken on the film set of A Shot in the Dark, at Elstree
Actor, made his name on The Goon Show and went on to become a major film star and comedian
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52. Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978), 1965,Piazza di Spagna, Rome
Italian artist, one of the masters of Surrealism
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53. Alain Robbe-Grillet (1922-2008), 1965, Saint-Germain-des Prés, Paris
French novelist, leader of the post-modernist ‘nouveau roman’
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54. Nicol Williamson (1938-2011), 1965,Kensington, London
Actor. Awarded Evening Standard Best Actor of the Year for Inadmissible Evidence, 1965, and Plaza Suite, 1969
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55. Bill Brandt (1904-1983), 1965,East Sussex coast
Self-portrait with mirror
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56. René Magritte (1898-1967), 1966, taken in his studio in Brussels, with his picture of ‘The Great War.’
Belgian artist, a leading exponent of Surrealism
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57. Jonathan Miller (1934-), 1966
Actor, writer, and theatre and film director
Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., February 1967
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58. Malcolm Muggeridge (1903-1990), 1966, Robertsbridge, Sussex
Writer, broadcaster and journalist
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59. J.B. Priestley, 1969,Alveston, Warwickshire
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60. Man Ray (1890-1976), 1970, Vence, South of France.
Avant-garde photographer and artist, with whom Brandt worked
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61. Glenda Jackson (1936-), 1971,Blackheath, London
Actress. Equally famous on stage and screen
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62. Martin Amis (1949-), 1974,Campden Hill, London
Novelist and critic
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63. John Le Carré (1931-), 1974,near Land’s End, Cornwall
(Pseudonym of David Cornwall)
Novelist. Famous for his novels of espionage and suspense.
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64. Jacques-Henri Lartigue (1894-1986), 1974,Opio, South of France
French photographer and artist
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65. Jean Rhys (1894-1979), 1975,Cheriton Fitzpaine, Devon
Novelist and writer
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66. V.S. Naipaul (1932-), 1976,South Kensington, London.
Novelist and writer. Best known for his novels set in the Caribbean.
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67. Brassai (1899-1984), 1978,Èze, South of France.
(Pseudonym of Gyula Halasz)
Hungarian-born photographer, whose work much influenced Brandt
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68. Robert Graves (1895-), 1978, Mallorca
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69. Ted Hughes (1930-1998), 1978,near Exeter.
Poet and writer. Established his reputation with The Hawk in the Rain (1957)
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70. Tom Stoppard (1937-), 1978
Playwright. Author of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1967)
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71. Sir Alfred (A.J.) Ayer (1910-1989), 1980
Philosopher. Influential proponent of ‘Logical Positivism’.
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72. Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984), 1980, Chelsea, London
Poet Laureate. A pioneer in the revival of interest in Victorian architecture, and other unfashionable subjects
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73. Kenneth Clark, Lord Clark (1903-1983), 1980,Kent
Art historian. Author of many important studies on painting. Produced popular series on television, Civilization.
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74. William Empson, 1980,Hampstead, London.
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75. Michael Frayn (1933-), 1980, Blackheath, London
Novelist, playwright and journalist. His popular comedies are a feature of West End theatre.
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76. Anthony Green (1939-), 1980
Artist. Noted for his naive-looking but ingenious figure compositions.
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77. David Hockney (1937-), 1980, Kensington, London
Artist renowned for the high quality of his figure drawing and his adventurous sense of composition.
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78. Sir Denys Lasdun (1914-2001), 1980
Architect of the National Theatre, and other prestigious modern buildings.
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79. John Osborne (1929-1994), 1980
Playwright. One of the ‘Angry Young Men’. Author of Look Back in Anger (1956), and many other plays.
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80. Edna O’Brien (1936-), 1980, in Chelsea, London
Novelist and writer. Draws much of her inspiration from Irish life.
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81. Victor Pasmore (1908-1998), 1980, Blackheath, London
Artist, member of the ‘Euston Road School’. Later turned to pure abstraction.
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82. Sir Victor (V.S.) Pritchett (1900-1997), 1980,London
Writer and critic. Best known for A Cab at the Door (1968)
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83. Dame Marie Rambert (1888-1982), 1980,Campden Hill, London
Founder and director of the Ballet Rambert
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84. Sir Ralph Richardson (1902-1983), 1980, London
Actor. One of the most eminent figures of the British theatre. He has also appeared in many films.
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85. Bridget Riley (1931-), 1980, London
Artist. From the 1960s has developed precisely patterned works which achieve retinal effect characteristic of Op Art.
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86. Richard Rogers (1933-), 1980,London
Architect. Designer of the Beaubourg centre in Paris
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87. Sir Roy Strong (1935-), 1980, taken at his home in Herefordshire
Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and an eminent historian
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88. Phillip King (1934-), 1980, Campden Hill, London
Sculptor. Uses brightly coloured man-made materials for works that are consciously enigmatic.
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89. Harold Pinter, 1981, Campden Hill, London
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90. John Schlesinger (1926-2003), 1981,Kensington, London
Film director. Since the 1960s has directed numerous highly successful films.
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91. Paul Scofield (1922-2008), 1981, Chiswick, London
Actor. One of the outstanding figures in the British theatre
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92. Lynn Seymour (1939-), 1981,Chiswick, London
Ballerina
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Prints of the catalogue numbers 1 to 92 were made under the photographer’s supervision especially for the exhibition. The following vintage prints date from the time when the photographs were taken.
93. Cecil day-Lewis, 1941
P189
94. Stephen Spender, 1941
P196
95. Sir Osbert Lancaster, 1942
P192
96. William Cosmo Gordon Lang (1864-1945), 1942, Canterbury Cathedral
Archbishop of Canterbury, 1928-1942
Published Picture Post, 24 January 1942
97. Kenneth Clark, Lord Clark, 1944
Published Harper’s Bazaar, December 1944
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98. Lady Clark (1902/3-1976), 1944
Wife of art historian Lord Clark
Published Harper’s Bazaar, December 1944
99. Sir Gerald Tyrwhitt-Wilson, Lord Berners (1883-1950), c.1945
Musician, artist, writer and eccentric personality
Variant published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., December 1945
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100. Lady Violet Bonham Carter, later Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury (1887-1969), c.1945
Supporter of the Liberal Party and the League of Nations. A governor of the BBC. Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., July 1945
P185
101. Richard Crossman (1917-1974), 1945
Labour politician. A brilliant and controversial figure in British politics.
Published Harper’s Bazaar, September 1945
P189
102. Geoffrey Crowther, Lord Crowther (1907-72), c.1945
Editor of The Economist, 1938-1956. Deputy Head of the Joint War Production Staff, 1942-1945.
103. T.S. Eliot (1888-1963), c.1945, taken in the offices of Faber & Faber, Bloomsbury, London.
Poet, playwright and critic
Published Harper’s Bazaar, July/August 1945
P190
106. Eric Hesketh Hubbard (1892-1957), 1945, taken in his Albany flat, London
Landscape and architectural painter and etcher
Published Harper’s Bazaar, July/August 1945
105. Augustus John (1878-1961), c.1945
Artist and bohemian personality
Variant published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., January 1946
P191
106. Beatrix Lehmann (1903-1979), c.1945
Actress. Played many parts in the West End, and on television and radio.
P193
107. John Piper (1903-1992), 1945
Artist and designer
P194
108. Terence Rattigan (1911-1977), 1945, taken in his Albany flat, London
Playwright. Author of much-loved popular comedies, and more serious plays, like The Winslow Boy.
Published Harper’s Bazaar, May 1945
P195
109. Peter Ustinov (1921-2004), c.1945
Actor, playwright and film director
Published Harper’s Bazaar, N.Y., July 1945
P197