Edward Alexander ('Aleister') Crowley
(1875-1947), Writer, mountaineer and occultist; British intelligence ServiceSitter in 2 portraits
Born in Leamington Spa into a successful brewing but fanatically Plymouth Brethren family, Crowley became a pioneer of guideless Alpine ascents. His expedition to K2 (the first attempted) with Oscar Eckenstein, in 1902, reached a height not surpassed for another two decades. His fame before the First World War rested on his poetry, The Collected Works (1905-7). His interest in human intelligence led him to the occult, to yoga and to Buddhism. An habitué and founder of occult societies himself, he called himself the 'Master Therion', the 'Great Beast', '666', and 'Baphomet', causing great scandal. He married the sister of the portrait painter Gerald Kelly in 1903.
Edward Alexander ('Aleister') Crowley
by Leon Engers Kennedy
oil on canvas, 1917-1918
NPG 6630
Edward Alexander ('Aleister') Crowley
by Universal Pictorial Press and Agency Ltd
bromide press print, June 1934
NPG x184351
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