Cecil Beaton

Cecil Beaton was born in 1904 in Hampstead, England.

He lived in London.
He died in 1980.

Known for:
Beaton was a British photographer known for his portraits of celebrities, royalty, and
society. He also did some war photography.

Most Popular Images:

Fashion portraits

Did you know ... ?

• Much of Beaton's work appeared in Vogue.
• Beaton was responsible for the costumes and stage designed of "My Fair Lady" and
"Gigi".

Quote:
Beaton wanted "to preserve the fleeting moment like a fly in amber."

General Format:
Beaton's Silver Gelatin photographs vary in size, but most are approximately 5" x 7",
7" x 7" or 9 1/2" x 9 1/2".

How many photographs exist?

Beaton worked in small, unnumbered editions.

Prices:
$1,250. - $15,000.

How are the photographs printed and signed?

Beaton's photographs are generally unsigned, though some are signed.

Technical Information:
Beaton first used a Kodak camera. He then began using a professional 8" x 10" plate
camera- "a change of equipment which Beaton registered as a personal loss, as a
symbolic castration".

Vintage:
Yes..

Portfolios:
None.
 Blitz Victim by Cecil Beaton

Beaton devoted himself to his work as an official war

photographer when he took this unforgettable portrait of
the 3 year-old blitz victim Eileen Dunne (1940) in a
hospital bed in the north of England.

Cooper’s Battery by Matthew Brady

The lifelikeness of the picture is beyond praise: one cannot help living
through this tense moment with these men of long ago, and one's eyes
instinctively follow their fixed gaze toward the lines of the foe.

Robert Capa