Cecil Beaton developed a distinctive style of photography where the subject was immersed in backgrounds made of unusual materials such as paper-mâché or aluminum foil. A socialite who rubbed elbows with royalty, celebrities and the wealthy aristocracy, the British photographer captured some of the most famous names of his time.
Beaton was born in London in 1904 to a successful lumber merchant and amateur actor. He received his first camera as a gift at age 11. Beaton later attended St. John’s College in Cambridge and studied art, history and architecture. He dropped out in 1925 and went to work in the family lumber business, but his free time was spent absorbed in photography.
Beaton befriended Sir Osbert Sitwell, who was captivated by his photographs and funded his first exhibition. It was an immediate sensation, leading to work with major magazines.
With a photography contract from Condé Nast, Beaton left for New York. By the end of the 1920s, he had worked as a staff photographer for Vanity Fair and Vogue. He continued to cultivate his unique portraiture style and published his work in several books. One of his greatest achievements was a commission from the British Royal Family in 1939, a relationship which endured for decades. During World War II, he served as a wartime photographer in Africa and East Asia.
After the war, Beaton returned to private portrait commissions. He also began designing costumes and sets for theater and the silver screen, winning an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Gigi and awards for costume design and art direction for My Fair Lady. He also won costume design Tony awards for the Broadway shows Quadrille, My Fair Lady, Saratoga and Coco.
Beaton designed the sets and costumes for a production of the opera Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and then at Covent Garden, London. His diaries, which were scrapbooks of his life and interests, have garnered wide interest, and several volumes of them have been published.
On 1stDibs, find Cecil Beaton’s photography, drawings and watercolors, paintings and more.
$7,500
The Second Mrs Tanqueray Act III 1950 Haymarket Theatre Costume Watercolour by C
By Cecil Beaton
Located in Bristol, CT
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero's "The Second Mrs Tanqueray" Act III, signed Beaton (MR) from the Haymarket Theatre, London 1950 stage production. Provenance: Palm Beach Galleries...
Paper, Watercolor
$375
H 6 in W 8 in
"028 - Plein Air-Eldorado Canyon, CO" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Gouache Painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "028 - Plein Air-Eldorado Canyon, CO" is a gouache painting depicting a small waterfall in a stream. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a contemporary lan...
Paper, Gouache
$375
H 6 in W 8 in
"015 - Plein Air-Reynolds Park, CO" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Gouache Painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "015 - Plein Air-Reynolds Park, CO" is a gouache painting depicting a peaceful landcscape. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a contemporary landscape pain...
Paper, Gouache
$375
H 6 in W 8 in
"027 - Plein Air-Golden, CO" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Gouache Painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "027 - Plein Air-Golden, CO" is a gouache painting depicting a small cliff on a mountainside. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a contemporary landscape ...
Paper, Gouache
French Fashion Sketch - Red Wrap Dress
Located in Houston, TX
Bold French gouache fashion sketch of a flowing wrap dress in deep red with floral detailing. Signed lower right. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold bor...
Gouache, Paper
$375
H 6 in W 8 in
"082 - Plein Air-Clear Creek Canyon, CO" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Gouache Painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "082 - Plein Air-Clear Creek Canyon, CO" is a gouache painting depicting a river with two hikers looking out at it. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a c...
Paper, Gouache
French Fashion Sketch - Ballerina Dress
Located in Houston, TX
Delightful gouache fashion sketch of a ballerina style dress in a deep forest green. Fabric swatch attached upper right. Signed lower left. Original ...
Gouache, Paper
$375
H 6 in W 8 in
"076 - Plein Air-Flat Irons Vista, CO" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Gouache Painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "076 - Plein Air-Flat Irons Vista, CO" is a gouache painting depicting a landscape. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a contemporary landscape painter an...
Paper, Gouache
$3,500
H 22.25 in W 18.25 in D 1.5 in
“Blue Macaw, 1975” by Aubrey Williams, Guyanese Tropical Bird Gouache Signed
By Aubrey Williams
Located in Yardley, PA
This striking gouache captures Williams’s lifelong fascination with the natural world, filtered through his expressive modernist sensibility. The bird emerges from a hazy gray field,...
Paper, Gouache
"Hold Firm" - Original Gouache Landscape Painting on Paper
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
“Hold Firm” is a plein air painting by Judd Mercer, created on location in Laguna Beach, California, USA. The piece captures the coastal rock formations and breaking waves along the ...
Paper, Gouache
"Flowers, Showers" - Original Gouache Landscape Painting on Paper
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
“Flowers, Showers” is a plein air painting by Judd Mercer, created on location in Morrison, Colorado, USA. The piece depicts a lush woodland clearing with wildflowers, aspens, and fa...
Paper, Gouache
"Shoreline Shade" - Original Gouache Landscape Painting on Paper
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
“Shoreline Shade” is a plein air painting by Judd Mercer, created on location in Long Beach, California, USA. The piece captures a sunlit shoreline with tree shadows cast across the ...
Paper, Gouache
$375
H 6 in W 8 in
"052 - Plein Air-St Mary's Glacier, CO" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Gouache Painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "052 - Plein Air-St Mary's Glacier, CO" is a gouache painting depicting a mountain. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a contemporary landscape painter an...
Paper, Gouache
$375
H 6 in W 8 in
"085 - Plein Air-Golden Gate Canyon, CO" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Gouache Painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "085 - Plein Air-Golden Gate Canyon, CO" is a gouache painting depicting a snowy landscape. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a contemporary landscape pa...
Paper, Gouache
$375
H 6 in W 8 in
"037 - Plein Air-Boulder Falls, CO" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Gouache Painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "037 - Plein Air-Boulder Falls, CO" is a gouache painting depicting a rocky waterfall. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a contemporary landscape painter...
Paper, Gouache
$375
H 6 in W 8 in
"013 - Plein Air-Morrison, CO" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Gouache Painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "013 - Plein Air-Morrison, CO" is a gouache painting depicting a snowy mountainscape. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a contemporary landscape painter a...
Paper, Gouache
An Athlete
By Cecil Beaton
Located in London, GB
Oil on board, signed (lower right), 56cm x 41cm, (64cm x 49cm framed). The pictures is good condition, which has been cleaned recently. The frame is the original frame, which althoug...
Oil, Board
"Cecil Beaton Self -Portrait"
By Cecil Beaton
Located in Bristol, CT
Cecil Beaton, signed verso & (stamped Fotografia de IIugo Rodrigo Octavio), Self-Portrait Art Sz: 6.75" x 8.75" Frame Sz: 12" x 14"
Silver Gelatin