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NPG was the first national gallery to show a living photographers work (back in the 60's) - it was an exhibition of Cecil Beaton's and put photography on the map in terms of an artform. NPG went from dowdy, boring and considered one of the worst...to one of the most exciting!

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NPG was the first national gallery to show a living photographers work (back in the 60's) - it was an exhibition of Cecil Beaton's and put photography on the map in terms of an artform. NPG went from dowdy, boring and considered one of the worst...to one of the most exciting!

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The home dear to Cecil Beaton, Ashcombe House, was later sold to Madonna and Guy Ritchie (where he still lives) - they did a feature in Vogue in 2015...

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The home dear to Cecil Beaton, Ashcombe House, was later sold to Madonna and Guy Ritchie (where he still lives) - they did a feature in Vogue in 2015...

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At Home With: Madonna, Ashcombe House, Wiltshire, England :: This Is Glamorous (TIG)

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Décor :: Interiors Redux | At Home With: Madonna, Ashcombe House, in Wiltshire, England, photography by Tim Walker for Vogue August 2005.

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Beaton was almost entirely self taught in photography- getting his first camera at age 11

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He did work for several Hollywood films like My Fair Lady and Gigi !

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“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” Cecil Beaton

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He frequently wrote to T. S Eliot.

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Interesting in the way they reflect more snapshots and seem more unmediated (but still carefully framed) views instead of constructed shots

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Was the official photographer of the official coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953

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Was the official photographer of the official coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953

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Cecil would have his party waiters walk around in animal masks

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What I found quite interesting was the fact that Cecil felt quite outcasted and like he didn’t fit in. I think this is so true to how it feels being a creative sometimes you feel like you don’t fit in sometimes. So the fact he was able to overcome that and produce such incredible art is really fascinating.

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Whilst known for his fashion photography - Beaton also spent some time with the Ministry of Information across Egypt and Asia during the second world war - photographing the impact of the conflict on soldiers and the impact back at home in the UK.

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Beaton had photographed the monarchy since the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 up until the year before his death in 1980, producing a more accessible image of the Windsors that would save them from disrepute, and secure himself knighthood.

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He taught himself to draw with his left hand after a stroke in 1974

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At just 25 years old, Beaton began photographing the British royal family. His stylised portraits helped modernise their public image, especially during World War II when he captured Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) and Princess Elizabeth (later the Queen) with a sense of elegance and resilience.

By Fardeen Anan

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Beaton was a member of a group called "Bright Young Things", a bohemian and aristrocratic group of socialites. And essentially was his stepping stool into high society.

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Beaton wrote 38 books ranging from photography and scrapbooks to war documentation.

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Despite his wealthy background a majority of his sets were diy, made of scraps and found items

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Despite his wealthy background a majority of his sets were diy, made of scraps and found items

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Beatons favourite flowers were white roses, Iceberg roses

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the previous owners of his house (reddish house) installed cages for illegal cock fights that cecil repurposed to store costumes

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Beaton died four days after his birthday 😔

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He kept a visitors book at Ashcombe with lots of famous signatures ( and messages and doodles from friends)

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He went to school with Evelyn Waugh, the writer, who was said to have bullied him

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Cecil Beaton loved gardening and made an amazing summer house with a pond. When his head gardener and their wife had a baby, they lived on the property and he has the inside pond in the summer house full drained when the baby was born to keep it from falling in

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"Be daring, be different, be impractical be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against (...) the creatures of the commonplace"

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Beaton was highly inspired by the popular early 20th century ballet as well as the exoticism the Ballet Russes costumes :)

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‘If you can’t love yourself how in the hell are you gunna love somebody else’ - Rupaul 

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‘If you can’t love yourself how in the hell are you gunna love somebody else’ - Rupaul 

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He staged a wedding for himself. Decor, invites, outfits the lot.

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In his documentary ‘behind the glitter’ it was said that Cecil Beaton pretended that he was drawn to photography from when he was an infant, but it turned out this was a story he made up in his young adult years, as he started to define himself as as a creative…

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Instead of signing a guest book, they signed their handprint in the toilet. Who's who in the Loo.

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He was one of the longest royal photographers

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He was one of the longest royal photographers

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PR vibes.

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Loved his theatrical garden as Ashcombe house. He had a summer house with hanging wicker baskets and a pond. He drained it to prevent a child drowning.

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Went to school and got bullied then took Waugh's photograph.

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Took inspiration from theatre design at the start of his career for his photography.

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Set up Theatre Society at Cambridge

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Used the dome, and it was bad for his sister.

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At the V+A and the Imperial War. We have most of his portraiture.

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After Timothy passed away Beaton soon died too.

Andy Warhol drew Timothy.

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Tried to use war photography to recover.

It is important to critically engage with his work.

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he would have masked parties victorian parties greek parties wild west Russian and circus parties. they would play practical jokes and speak their own made up language