Wenda Parkinson (née Rogerson)

© Norman Parkinson Archive/ Iconic Images

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Wenda Parkinson (née Rogerson)

by Norman Parkinson
vintage bromide print, 1951
12 in. x 10 in. (304 mm x 254 mm) overall
Given by Norman Parkinson, 1981 in conjunction with the NPG exhibition 'Norman Parkinson: 50 Years of Portraits and Fashion'
Photographs Collection
NPG x30181

Sitterback to top

Artistback to top

  • Norman Parkinson (1913-1990), Photographer. Artist or producer of 244 portraits, Sitter in 14 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Most of Parkinson's succesful photographs were taken outdoors in locations that provided appropriate and realistic settings such as this study, taken near Rotten Row, of his favourite muse and model of the 1940s and 1950s. Wenda Parkinson is dressed in a Hardy Amies Suit. The composition, with the open umbrella and bare outline of the leafless tree shown against moving traffic and Hyde Park Corner, accentuates her silhouette.

Linked publicationsback to top

  • 100 Photographs, 2018, p. 80 Read entry

    Norman Parkinson (1913-90) first met Wenda Rogerson (1923-87) when she appeared as a young actress at the Arts Theatre Club, supplementing her salary through modelling. She became his model and they married in 1947. In a career that spanned seven decades, Parkinson was celebrated for his inventiveness as a fashion photographer. His long association with Vogue and his numerous assignments for Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country and other international magazines brought him worldwide recognition. His innovative images, many of which were made outdoors in carefully chosen locations, transformed the static approach to fashion photography. In this example, Wenda is dressed in a Hardy Amies suit. The composition, with the open umbrella and bare outline of the leafless tree shown against moving traffic at Hyde Park Corner, accentuates her silhouette.

  • Muir, Robin, VOGUE 100: A Century of Style: Highlights (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 11 February - 22 May 2016), p. 76
  • Muir, Robin, VOGUE 100: A Century of Style (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 11 February - 22 May 2016), p. 109

Placesback to top

Subjects & Themesback to top

Events of 1951back to top

Current affairs

The Conservative Party wins the general election and Winston Churchill returns for a second term as prime minister.

Art and science

On the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Festival of Britain is held as a nationwide celebration of British culture, and as an impetus for post-war regeneration. As well as various art, science and industrial exhibitions and events, a major regeneration project was initiated for the South Bank area of London under the directorship of the architect, Hugh Casson.

International

Libya declares its sovereignty from Italian rule, becoming the first independent state to be created by the UN.
At the Treaty of San Francisco, 48 nations sign a peace treaty with Japan, officially ending the Pacific War - the last battleground of the Second World War.

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