Angus McBean

1 portrait of Angus McBean

© estate of Angus McBean / National Portrait Gallery, London

 Like voting
is closed

Thanks for Liking

Please Like other favourites!
If they inspire you please support our work.

Buy a print Buy a greetings card Make a donation Close

Angus McBean

by Tim Mercer
R-type colour print from original transparency, published February 1983
11 1/2 in. x 14 3/8 in. (292 mm x 365 mm)
Given by David Ball via Johnnie Shand Kydd, 2003
Photographs Collection
NPG x126078

Sitterback to top

  • Angus McBean (1904-1990), Photographer. Sitter in 79 portraits, Artist or producer associated with 283 portraits.

Artistback to top

  • Tim Mercer, Photographer. Artist or producer of 15 portraits.

This portraitback to top

McBean purchased his moated Tudor home, Flemings Hall, Suffolk, in 1964 and spent several years renovating and decorating it to his taste. McBean is shown here lying on his mock Tudor bed, which was in fact constructed by McBean with various pieces of Jacobean oak. The gates to Flemings Hall covered in frost appeared on one of the two designs for McBean's 1964 Christmas card. Published in Harpers & Queen, February 1983.

Placesback to top

Subjects & Themesback to top

Events of 1983back to top

Current affairs

Margaret Thatcher wins a landslide majority for the Conservative Party at the general election. Although her premiership had previously been unpopular, the British victory in the Falklands coupled with divisions in Michael Foot's Labour opposition, helped her to gain popularity and win the most decisive election victory since 1945.

Art and science

The British sitcom Blackadder is aired for the first time. Each of the four series followed the character of the anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and took place during a different period of British history. The first series, The Black Adder, was a satire of medieval England during the rein of the fictitious Richard IV, and frequently lifted famous lines from Shakespeare.

International

The armed struggle between Tamil militants and the Sinhalese-dominated government of Sri Lanka begin with the Black July pogrom. Mobs (allegedly supported by the government) started attacking and murdering Tamils following an attack by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on government soldiers. Civil war between the government and Tamil nationalists has continued sporadically ever since.

Comments back to top

We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.

If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.