Bown studied at Guildford School of Art, 1946-50 and began her photographic career when her portrait of Bertrand Russell appeared in The Observer.
One of Britain's greaest portrait photographers, she was praised for her naturally posed, black and white portraits thatrr were characteristically taken with natural light. Her published books include The Gentle Eye (1980) which was accompanied by a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in 1980-81, Women of Consequence (1986), Men of Consequence (1987) and Faces (2000). In 1995 she was awarded a CBE for her outstanding contribution to photography.