Cecil Beaton
The V&A holds the archive of royal portraits by renowned fashion photographer Sir Cecil Beaton (1904 – 80), who became court photographer to the British Royal Family in 1937, and continued to photograph them for the next three generations, including taking the official portraits for Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953.
Beaton bequeathed his archive of royal portraits to his devoted secretary Eileen Hose. In 1987 she, in turn, bequeathed the archive to the V&A. To celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee in 2012, the Museum mounted the exhibition 'Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton', featuring portraits of Her Majesty in her roles as princess, monarch and mother. Our collection also holds some of his costume and stage designs for productions such as My Fair Lady (1956) and Gigi (1958), as well as the Cecil Beaton Collection of fashion, which was exhibited at the Museum in 1971 as 'Fashion: An Anthology by Cecil Beaton'.
Features
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Cecil Beaton: royal photographerFind out more about the Cecil Beaton archive of royal portraits at the V&A
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Costume conservation: My Fair Lady
From rags to riches, follow the transformation of an iconic piece of musical theatre history
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A brief history of ghosts and spirit photographyFind out about the Victorian obsession with seances, spiritualism and capturing ghosts
Collection highlights
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Princess Alexandra and the Honourable Angus Oglivy, gelatin silver print, by Cecil Beaton, 1963, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
Princess Marie Louise, photograph, by Cecil Beaton, 1939, Buckingham PalaceV&A South Kensington -
Queen Elizabeth, photograph, by Cecil Beaton, 1939, Buckingham PalaceV&A South Kensington -
Schiaparelli evening dresses, photograph, by Cecil Beaton, commissioned by French Vogue, 1936, FranceV&A South Kensington -
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, photograph, by Cecil Beaton, 1939, Paris, France.V&A South Kensington -
Queen Elizabeth II, photograph, by Cecil Beaton, 1968, Buckingham Palace, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
Katharine Worsley, Duchess of Kent on her wedding day, photograph, by Cecil Beaton, 1961, Hovingham Hall, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
H.R.H. Princess Margaret, photograph by Cecil Beaton, 1951, Englsnd. Museum no. CBX 1001-12. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Queen Elizabeth II, photograph, C-type print, by Cecil Beaton, 1953, London, EnglandV&A South Kensington
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Header image:
Queen Elizabeth II, photograph by Cecil Beaton, 1953, England. Museum no. PH.311-1987. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London