I have long been an admirer of Sir Cecil Beaton. As the greatest photographer of the last century, he established himself as a polymouth, excelling not only as a photographer, but also as a costume designer, diarist, illustrator and more. Perhaps most famed for his images of the royal family including the Coronation, and his vivid and highly stylised pictures for Vogue, he also had an innate sense of style and character that made him an incredibly rakish man.
His personal style is dandified but nonchalant, elegant but also playful and personal.
Above image - Cecil Beaton with David Hockney
Beaton was a prolific diarist and each click of his camera lens is captured in his writing. I have been lucky enough to collect a couple of Beaton first editions - Persona Grata, New York, Far East and Ballet with the original dust jacket illustrated by Beaton.
Without Beaton, it is unlikely that we would have fashion photographer in the way that we do in the modern age. Some of the images below are just a few of the glorious photos that he is famous for.
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