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
$6,500
H 31.75 in W 39.38 in D 1.25 in
“Untitled (Women Walking), c. 1945” Double-Sided NYC Street Manhattan Cityscape
By Reginald Marsh
Located in Yardley, PA
A fantastic example of Marsh’s renowned depictions of ladies walking in downtown Manhattan. This richly worked ink and wash composition captures a sidewalk populated by stylish women...
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
$700
H 4.53 in W 7.29 in
Watercolour on arches paper by contemporary emerging artist
Located in Vilnius, Vilniaus apskr.
"Piano cocktail" according Boris Vian "Froth on the Daydream" L'Écume des jours
Paper, Watercolor
$5,255
H 29.14 in W 38.19 in D 3.94 in
1960s Italian Signed Dated and Autenticated Painting
By Mino Maccari
Located in Roma, IT
1960s Italian Signed Dated and Autenticated Painting Mino Maccari work Three stylized figures Work by the Sienese artist Mino Maccari, signed at the bottom right Maccari 1969. Mixed ...
Paper, Watercolor
$2,102
H 15.36 in W 11.23 in D 1.58 in
Domenico Morelli 19th Century Orientalist Watercolor
By Domenico Morelli
Located in Roma, IT
Beautiful and interesting watercolor painting on paper attributed to the great Neapolitan artist Domenico Morelli. It depicts one of his favorite subjects, namely an oriental woman c...
Paper, Watercolor
$700
H 12.6 in W 15.75 in
The biggest house in town - Figurative Gouache Painting, Landscape, Architecture
By Piotr Fąfrowicz
Located in Warsaw, PL
PIOTR FĄFROWICZ (born in 1958). He studied art history at the Catholic University of Lublin. He deals with painting and graphic design. Winner of numerous awards for illustrations, i...
Paper, Tempera, Gouache
$700
H 11.62 in W 8.27 in
Watercolour on arches paper by contemporary emerging artist
Located in Vilnius, Vilniaus apskr.
"Garment" acording Romain Gary "King Solomon"
Paper, Watercolor
$992
H 34.65 in W 18.9 in D 0.12 in
Original 70's Hand Painted Textile Design Gouache Pink & Black Color on Paper
Located in ALCOY/ALCOI, ES
Flowers and pixel design. Sealed on the back with design studio name and number 268 We offer a small number of these original illustration designs by this design studio based in Alc...
Paper, Gouache
Untitled: Abstract Figure and Leaves
By Gio Colucci
Located in Berlin, MD
Gio Colucci (Italian 1892-1974) Untitled: Abstract Figure and Leaves. Gouache on paper laid down on matt board. Archival framing under glass. Originally from the Con-Agra Corporat...
Gouache, Laid Paper
Italian Grand Tour Style Signed Landscape
Located in Roma, IT
Important watercolor painting representing a beautiful view of Rome with the Tiber, Castel Sant'Angelo and the dome of St. Peter's in the background. A typical work in the vein of th...
Paper, Watercolor
Still-life of fruits on a marble entablature
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
Attributed to Pancrace BESSA (1772-1846) Fruits on a marble entablature Watercolor and graphite on paper H. 31 cm; W. 37 cm
Paper, Watercolor
$7,619
H 19.3 in W 25.6 in
Antonius Johannes KRISTIANS (1883-1957), "At the Bar"
Located in Paris, FR
- Gouache on paper. - Signed at bottom left. - Around 1920. Dimensions H : 49 cm L : 65 cm/H : 19.3 in W : 25.6 in (unframed) H : 67 cm L : 87 cm/H: 26.38 in W: 34.25 in (with frame)
Paper, Gouache
Léa LAFUGIE (1890-1972), gouache of a Tibetan woman and child
Located in Paris, FR
Léa Lafugie is a painter who has travelled extensively throughout Asia. She is renowned for her portraits. She studied at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, then at the Ecole de...
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