Somerset Maugham
28 of 244 portraits by Mark Gerson
© Mark Gerson / National Portrait Gallery, London
Somerset Maugham
by Mark Gerson
bromide print, October 1955
6in. x 4in. (152 mm x 112 mm)
Transferred from Evening Standard Library, before 1983
Photographs Collection
NPG x36064
Sitterback to top
- William ('W.') Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), Novelist, playwright and spy. Sitter associated with 115 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Mark Gerson (1921-), Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 277 portraits, Sitter in 2 portraits.
Events of 1955back to top
Current affairs
Robert Anthony Eden becomes prime minister. In May 1955 Winston Churchill resigned due to ill health. His successor proved to be a similarly popular leader, winning an increased majority at the general election that year. Eden's popularity was due to a combination of his long wartime service, good looks and charm.Art and science
Mary Quant introduces the 'Chelsea Look' with her Bazaar boutique. In the 1960s Quant was a major contributor to 'swinging London' introducing some of the seminal items of 1960s fashion: the miniskirt, hot pants, paint-box make-up and plastic raincoats.International
West Germany joins NATO, prompting the East European Communist counties to respond by forming the Warsaw Pact. The signatories of the Warsaw Pact pledged to defend each other if any member was attacked. This development was a major event in the Cold War as it firmly established the East and West as opposing military powers.Comments back to top
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