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Cecil Beaton

(1904-1980), Photographer, designer and writer

Sitter associated with 361 portraits
Artist associated with 1112 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

Watch a film clip on the photographer from the BBC Archive in the Media section below

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Siegfried Sassoon, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P352

Siegfried Sassoon

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print, 1920s
NPG P352

Sir William Turner Walton, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P55

Sir William Turner Walton

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 1926
NPG P55

Edith Sitwell, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P868

Edith Sitwell

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print, December 1926
NPG P868

Cecil Beaton, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P219

Cecil Beaton

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 1927
NPG P219

Madge Garland, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P456

Madge Garland

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 1927
NPG P456

Lady Cynthia Blanche Mosley (née Curzon), by Cecil Beaton - NPG P1353

Lady Cynthia Blanche Mosley (née Curzon)

by Cecil Beaton
gelatin silver print, 1929
NPG P1353

Sylvia Townsend Warner, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P181

Sylvia Townsend Warner

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 1930
NPG P181

Sylvia Townsend Warner, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P182

Sylvia Townsend Warner

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 1930
NPG P182

Sylvia Townsend Warner, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P183

Sylvia Townsend Warner

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 1930
NPG P183

Michael Arlen, by Cecil Beaton - NPG 6231

Michael Arlen

by Cecil Beaton
pencil, 1930s?
NPG 6231

W.H. Auden, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P869(3)

W.H. Auden

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1930
NPG P869(3)

Edith Sitwell, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P867

Edith Sitwell

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print, 1930
NPG P867

Elisabeth Bergner, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P1041

Elisabeth Bergner

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print on card mount, 1934
NPG P1041

Flowers, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P261

Flowers

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 1936
NPG P261

Chateau Cande, France, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P262

Chateau Cande, France

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 1936
NPG P262

Aldous Huxley, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P869(17)

Aldous Huxley

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 - NPG P259

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 - NPG P260

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 - NPG P264

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 - NPG P265

Wallis, Duchess of Windsor; Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII)

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 2 June 1937
NPG P265

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