12 OF 14 
Tilda Swinton
12 of 14 portraits by The Douglas Brothers
© The Douglas Brothers
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Tilda Swinton
by The Douglas Brothers
platinum print, November 1992
19 5/8 in. x 15 3/4 in. (500 mm x 400 mm) image size
Given by The Douglas Brothers, 2015
Primary Collection
NPG P2006
Artistback to top
- The Douglas Brothers (1952-; 1962-), Photographers. Artist or producer of 14 portraits.
This portraitback to top
Tilda Swinton was photographed for Sight & Sound magazine on the release of the film Orlando in 1992, in which she played Virginia Woolf’s gender-swapping title character. With her commanding screen presence and striking features, the Brothers recalled how Swinton transformed before their camera: ‘Tilda was sharp, funny, mesmerizing. The moment she got in front of the camera she became some kind of deity.’ Platinum printing, in which platinum is used to render the image instead of the silver used in ordinary prints, lends the portrait a velvety, tactile softness.
Linked publicationsback to top
- 100 Photographs, 2018, p. 116 Read entry
Tilda Swinton (b.1961) was photographed for Sight & Sound magazine on the release of the film Orlando (1992), in which she played Virginia Woolf’s gender-swapping title character. The Douglas Brothers recalled how the actress, with her commanding screen presence and striking features, transformed before their camera: ‘Tilda was sharp, funny, mesmerising. The moment she got in front of the camera she became some kind of deity.’ Andrew Douglas (b.1952) assisted the photographer Lord Snowdon before collaborating with his younger brother Stuart Douglas (b.1962) in 1986. Using large-format plate cameras and long exposure times, the brothers also returned to time-consuming and labour-intensive printing methods, which allow for greater artistic creativity. Platinum printing gives Swinton’s portrait a velvety, tactile softness and brings out rich nuances of tone.
Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top
- Out of the Shadows: Portraits by the Douglas Brothers (7 August 2017 - 28 January 2018)
Events of 1992back to top
Current affairs
The Church of England votes narrowly in favour of the ordination of women priests. The first women priests were ordained in 1994, inspiring the popular sitcom The Vicar of Dibley.John Major is forced to take the pound off the European Exchange Rate Mechanism after Black Wednesday, when currency dealers continued selling sterling despite a dramatic increase in interest rates. The event damaged the Conservative party's reputation irreparably.
Art and science
The long-running sitcom Absolutely Fabulous airs for the first time on the BBC starring Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley as style-obsessed, middle-aged media luvvies Eddy and Patsy. June Whitfield played Eddy's mother, and Julia Sawalha her long-suffering daughter Saffy (or, 'sweetie darling').International
Members of the European Community sign the Maastricht Treaty leading to the creation of the European Union. The treaty led to the creation of the 'Euro' currency and its policy was based on a 'three pillars structure' concerned with: 1. Community. 2 . Foreign and Security Policy. 3. Criminal Matters.At a referendum, Bosnia and Herzegovina vote to become a separate state from Yugoslavia. Civil war soon broke out.
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