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
$3,375
H 17 in W 21 in D 1 in
Umbrella Man Mixed Media Drawing, Watercolor on Paper, Signed, 17x21 in Framed
By Peter Max
Located in Aventura, FL
Original mixed media drawing with watercolor on paper. Hand signed by Peter Max. Frame size approx 17 x 21 inches. Artwork size 11 x 15 inches. Artwork is in excellent condition....
Paper, Mixed Media, Watercolor
$500
H 17 in W 14 in
Oil Pastel and Gouache Painting, Figurative, Circa 1950s, 14x17
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
Israeli Judaica Rabbi Expressionist Gouachel Painting
By Adolf Adler
Located in Surfside, FL
size includes frame Adolf Adler 1917 - 1996 Adolf Adi Adler was born in Romania in 1917. Attended the Art College of Kluj Romania in 1950. (in Satu Mare, original home city of the Sa...
Paper, Gouache
$1,650
H 28.38 in W 22.5 in D 0.02 in
Black and White Nude Woman in Acrylic, Gouache, and Charcoal on Paper
By Katherine Kallick
Located in Soquel, CA
Black and White Nude Woman in Acrylic, Gouache, and Charcoal on Paper Black and white painting of a woman by acclaimed bluegrass musician Katherine ...
Paper, Charcoal, Acrylic, Gouache
$12,000
H 23 in W 18 in
The Relics of George Washington Exhibition: Watercolor on Paper, Signed, Framed
By William Thomas Smedley
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
William Thomas Smedley's The Relics of George Washington Exhibition is a fascinating historical work that captures Americans' enduring fascination with the nation's founding history....
Paper, Watercolor
$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
$375
H 6 in W 8 in
"077 - Plein Air-Morrison, CO" (2022) By Judd Mercer, Gouache Painting
By Judd Mercer
Located in Denver, CO
Judd Mercer's (US based) "077 - Plein Air-Morrison, CO" is a gouache painting depicting a landscape. Artist bio/statement Judd Mercer is a contemporary landscape painter and Colora...
Paper, Gouache
"The Heart of the Eternal City"
By Vasyl Kohutych
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This painting is executed in the technique of classical watercolor, which successfully combines soft strokes of sky and water with clear graphic details of architecture. The paper de...
Paper, Watercolor
$700
H 8 in W 6 in
"Brooklyn Shops (Brooklyn)" - Impressionist Cityscape, Mixed Media Painting
By Hazel Z Weckbach
Located in Denver, CO
This piece rests at 8 x 6 inches and is framed at 12.87 x 10.87 inches, wired and ready for hanging. Artist Statement: "Subject matter to me is a vehicle for me to explore how I obs...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
$2,064
H 10 in W 7.5 in D 1 in
Fairies cavorting, Very rare turn of the 19th Century Fairy picture
Located in Harkstead, GB
A wonderful example of fairy painting which became such a popular subject for Victorians and was most notably explored by John Anster Fitzgerald and Richard Dadd. The picture is a ra...
Paper, Watercolor, Ink
$677
H 16.15 in W 12.6 in D 0.6 in
Vieux Nice, Rue de la Providence, Watercolour on Paper, Signed, 41x32 cm
Located in Cotignac, FR
French watercolour on paper view of the Old Port of Nice in the south of France by R Coppa. The painting is signed bottom right and is annotated to the backboard: ' Vieux Nice - Rue ...
Paper, Watercolor
$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
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