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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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Wallis, Duchess of Windsor; Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (King Edward VIII), by Cecil Beaton - NPG P266

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

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 2 June 1937
On display in Room 27 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG P266

Wallis at the Window, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P263

Wallis at the Window

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, 2 June 1937
NPG P263

Walter Sickert; Thérèse Lessore, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P869(21)

Walter Sickert; Thérèse Lessore

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 15 September 1940
NPG P869(21)

Sir (Howard) Kingsley Wood, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P869(23)

Sir (Howard) Kingsley Wood

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1940
NPG P869(23)

Cyril Connolly, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P869(7)

Cyril Connolly

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1942
NPG P869(7)

Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P869(4)

Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1943
NPG P869(4)

Elizabeth Bowen, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P869(5)

Elizabeth Bowen

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1943
On display in Room 27 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG P869(5)

Chips Channon, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P869(6)

Chips Channon

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1943
NPG P869(6)

George Macaulay Trevelyan, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P869(22)

George Macaulay Trevelyan

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1 September 1943
NPG P869(22)

James Evershed Agate, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P869(1)

James Evershed Agate

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1944
NPG P869(1)

Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, by Cecil Beaton - NPG P869(10)

Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart

by Cecil Beaton
vintage bromide print on white card mount, 1944
NPG P869(10)

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