Self Portrait, 1938
Born in London in 1904, Cecil Beaton's first photographs were of his sisters styled in theatrical decadent costumes.
His unique flair for elegance and fantasy lead him to become one of the most successful and influential portrait and fashion photographers of the 20th century. Baron Adolf de Meyer and Edward Steichen were sources of inspiration for him, but he developed a style all his own. He worked for Vogue for over twenty-five years and also became official court photographer to the Royal family in 1937. A constant innovator, Beaton worked for five decades photographing some of the most captivating figures of his time, from Edith Sitwell to the Rolling Stones, Greta Garbo, Jean Cocteau, and Marilyn Monroe. Beaton died in 1980 at the age of 76.