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
bromide print, March 1960
NPG P1480
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, March 1960
NPG P1481
Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Queen Elizabeth II
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, March 1960
NPG P1482
Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Queen Elizabeth II
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, March 1960
NPG P1483
by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, October 1962
NPG P869(14)
Prince Edward; Queen Elizabeth II
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, May 1964
NPG P1484
Prince Edward; Queen Elizabeth II
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, May 1964
NPG P1485
Prince Andrew, Duke of York; Prince Edward; Queen Elizabeth II
by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, May 1964
NPG P1486
by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1965
NPG P869(20)
William John Christopher Vassall
by Cecil Beaton
oil on canvas, 1966
NPG 6552
Arnold Abraham Goodman, Baron Goodman
by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1968
NPG P869(15)
by Cecil Beaton
chromogenic print, October 1968
NPG P1487
by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1970
NPG P869(8)
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.