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
$880Sale Price|48% Off
H 10.5 in W 5 in
Fire, mixed media portrait of nude woman
By Deirdre O'Connell
Located in New York, NY
“I thought the world was turned upside down when I started this body of work right after the 2016 presidential election. Little did I know. I had gone to the Woman's March in Washing...
Fabric, Paper, Acrylic, Pencil, Laser, Gouache
Oil Pastel and Gouache Painting, Figurative, Circa 1950s
By Donald Stacy
Located in Arp, TX
Donald Stacy "Mark" c.1950s Oil pastel and gouache paint on paper 14x17" unframed Unsigned Came from artist's estate Donald Stacy (1925-2011) New Jersey Studied: Newark School of ...
Paper, Oil Pastel, Gouache
$11,880Sale Price|20% Off
H 33.5 in W 26 in
Orientalist "Moorish Soldier Holding a Rifle" Manuel Garcia Hispaleto
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Moorish Soldier Holding a Rifle" Manuel Garcia Hispaleto (Spanish, 1836-1898) Watercolor on paper Signed lower left "MGHispaleto" Original wood frame with gilded stucco 18 3/4 x 12 1/2 (33 1/2 x 26 frame) inches Manuel García Hispaleto, originally Manuel García y Martínez (22 November 1836, Seville -26 December 1898, Madrid) was a Spanish painter known for portraits and costumbrista (genre) scenes. His brother, Rafael García...
Watercolor, Handmade Paper
Fishing by the Sea
By Milton Avery
Located in London, GB
Milton Avery Fishing By The Sea, 1944 Gouache on stout paper 55.9 x 78.8 cm 22 x 31 inches Born in Altmar, New York, in 1885, Milton Avery moved with his family to Hartford, Connect...
Paper, Gouache
$1,600Sale Price|46% Off
H 24 in W 36 in D 0.13 in
"Listen" Watercolor Painting by Orielle Anaïs - Female Nudes Art
By Orielle Anais
Located in Carmel, CA
"Listen" 24x36" watercolor painting. The painting comes with a certificate of authenticity. About the artist: Orielle Anaïs [Santa Barbara, CA] is a multimedia artist specializin...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
$11,669
H 9.45 in W 14.18 in D 0.6 in
Set of Eight 19th Century Chinese Pith Paper Paintings Depicting Dignitaries
Located in London, GB
Set of eight 19th century Chinese pith paper paintings depicting dignitaries Chinese, 19th Century Paper: Height 20cm, width 34cm Frame: Height 24cm, width 36cm, depth 1.5cm This r...
Watercolor, Rice Paper
Demeter (Les Idoles, Folies Bergère), 1924
By Erté
Located in Greenwich, CT
Déméter from Les Idoles, Folies Bergère was created in 1924 and is a gouache on paper measuring approximately 14.75 x 10.5 inches. Framed in a custom, closed-corner Art Deco...
Paper, Gouache
$3,335
H 11.82 in W 8.67 in D 0.04 in
Sketches - China Ink Drawing by Luigi Bartolini - 1930
By Luigi Bartolini
Located in Roma, IT
Sketches is an original modern artwork realized by Luigi Bartolini in the mid-20th Century. China ink drawing and watercolor. Hand signed by the ar...
Ink, Watercolor, Paper
$13,042
H 14.57 in W 19.3 in D 0.6 in
Set of Antique Chinese Pith Paintings Depicting Tea Production
Located in London, GB
Set of Antique Chinese pith paintings depicting tea production Chinese, 19th Century Panel: Height 21cm, width 33cm Frame: Height 37cm, ...
Wood, Paper, Watercolor
$14,000
H 23.38 in W 30.25 in D 2 in
Cutting The Ice/New England Winter Landscape, Shank Painters Pond Provincetown
By John Whorf
Located in Milford, NH
A fine watercolor painting of men cutting ice on Shank Painters Pond, Provincetown, MA by American artist John Whorf (1903-1959). Whorf was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts and by the...
Paper, Watercolor
$833
H 18.9 in W 14.18 in
Dreaming - Contemporary Ink Ecoline Painting, New Expression
Located in Salzburg, AT
Grażyna Rigall is a painter, illustrator, author of stage designs and music videos. - The artist is interested in the merging of the world of fauna and flora with the world of man, p...
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
$1,310
H 39.38 in W 27.56 in
Mother - Figurative Ink, Ecoline Painting, New Expression
Located in Salzburg, AT
Grażyna Rigall is a painter, illustrator, author of stage designs and music videos. - The artist is interested in the merging of the world of fauna and ...
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
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