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Cecil Beaton

(1904-1980), Photographer, designer and writer

Sitter 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

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Cecil Beaton

by Dorothy Wilding
half-plate glass negative, 1925
NPG x36728

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Cecil Beaton

by Lafayette
whole-plate film negative, 14 June 1928
NPG x49752

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Cecil Beaton

by Lafayette
whole-plate film negative, 14 June 1928
NPG x49753

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Cecil Beaton

by Dorothy Wilding
half-plate film negative, 1937
NPG x35447

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Cecil Beaton

by George Platt Lynes
bromide print, 1938
NPG x40467

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Cecil Beaton

by Francis Goodman
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 28 November 1945
NPG x39435

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Cecil Beaton

by Francis Goodman
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 28 November 1945
NPG x39436

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Cecil Beaton

by Francis Goodman
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 28 November 1945
NPG x39437

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Cecil Beaton

by Francis Goodman
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 28 November 1945
NPG x39438

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Cecil Beaton

by Francis Goodman
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 28 November 1945
NPG x39439

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Cecil Beaton

by Francis Goodman
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 28 November 1945
NPG x39440

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Cecil Beaton

by Bill Brandt
bromide print on card mount, 1945
NPG x22404

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Cecil Beaton

by Paul Tanqueray
quarter-plate film negative, 1952
NPG x180441

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Cecil Beaton

by Unknown photographer
bromide print, 1957
NPG x5785

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Cecil Beaton

by James Berry
vintage print, 1977
NPG x40552

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Cecil Beaton

by Roger George Clark
bromide print, 25 July 1978
NPG x15098

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Cecil Beaton

by Roger George Clark
bromide print, 25 July 1978
NPG x15099

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Cecil Beaton

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print
NPG x40573

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Cecil Beaton

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print
NPG x40581

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