At 15, the London-born David Bailey was jazz mad and Picasso loving but, being a dyslexic cockney, was booted out of school. Escape from gritty East London seemed unlikely until he picked up a Rolleiflex during his stint in the National Service. Three years later, in 1960, he was under contract at British Vogue.
Prodigiously talented, Bailey was also wildly charismatic and uncommonly pretty, a high-octane amalgam that no doubt fueled his meteoric rise. Soon, he was chronicling, and surfing, the cultural tsunami that transformed London in the Swinging Sixties, when young creatives from music, fashion, advertising, theater, film, TV and journalism toppled the British establishment to become the new royalty.
This was the moment when the seeds of celebrity culture were sown. Bailey snapped all these revolutionary aristos: John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Michael Caine, Tom Stoppard and David Hockney. Each and every one looks impossibly dewy and fresh and brims with an entirely modern derring-do.
So, too, do “the beautiful birds,” as Bailey called the alluring models and actresses who defined that decade: the exquisite Jean “Shrimp” Shrimpton, Twiggy, Penelope Tree, Brigitte Bardot, Jeanne Moreau, Catherine Deneuve. A number of them became his lovers, Deneuve his wife (he’s had four), for a time.
It was a wild ride for an East End lad and literally the stuff of movies. Bailey was the inspiration for the prowling fashion photographer Thomas, played by pretty boy David Hemmings, in one of the iconic films of that era, Antonioni’s Blowup.
But despite his playboy persona and lucrative work in fashion advertising, Bailey has always possessed real psychological depth and artistic ambition. He can snap like few others. His closest peer in spontaneity, insight and cool was Richard Avedon. Both preferred a white backdrop, strong lighting and a tight focus to capture that rare telling moment.
Someone shot with eyes shut is not an accident with Bailey but a revelation. To this day, he can’t explain how he works his magic, although he does liken it to shamanic conjuring. He makes no secret that he spends most of his time gabbing with his subject — he’s curious about everyone. Sometimes, the chatter is a seduction; occasionally, it becomes good-naturedly pugilistic. And then, in mere moments, the individual is sized and seized by his camera.
Browse David Bailey's revolutionary portraiture and fashion photography on 1stDibs.
Vogue Magazine September 1963 Framed Cover
By David Bailey
Located in Stamford, CT
Vogue September 1963 framed original cover. Model Brigitte Bauer photographed by David Bailey. As found framed condition in gold wood frame.
Glass, Wood, Paper
![Rolling Stones [Avebury Hill]](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/david-bailey-photography-rolling-stones-avebury-hill-for-sale/a_21542/1666358958319/rolling_stones_avebury_master.jpeg?width=240)
Rolling Stones [Avebury Hill]
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Rolling Stones [Avebury Hill], 1968 Archival Inkjet on paper Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 50.8 x 74.92 cm Sheet: 58.4 x 82.53 cm Edition of 10
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
Miles Davis
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
Music has always been a passion for David Bailey. As a teenager, he played the trumpet, thinking for a while that music - rather than photography - might be his future. Among his musical heroes is Miles Davis...
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
Mick in Fur Hood
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Mick in Fur Hood, 1964 Platinum Palladium print on paper Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 49.5 x 49.5 cm Sheet: 59.7 x 68.6 cm Edition of 25 + 1 AP
Platinum
![Paul McCartney [Mirror]](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/david-bailey-photography-paul-mccartney-mirror-for-sale/a_21542/1666357957166/paul_mccartney_master.jpeg?width=240)
Paul McCartney [Mirror]
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Paul McCartney [Mirror], 1967 Silver Gelatin Print Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 43.1 x 43.1 cm Sheet: 50.8 x 60.9 cm Edition of 25
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
Cecil Beaton and Rudolf Nureyev c1965 For David Bailey's Box of Pin-Ups
By David Bailey
Located in Bristol, CT
Cecil Beaton & Rudolf Nureyev c1965 Art Sz: 14"H x 12"W Frame Sz: 19 1/2"H x 17 1/2"W w/ bespoke lavender mat w/ Brit racing green
Photographic Paper
Rolling Stones Colour Out of Our Heads
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Rolling Stones Colour Out of Our Heads, 1968 Archival Inkjet on paper Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 50.8 x 50.8 cm Sheet: 58...
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
'Jimmy Woolf' 1965 from David Bailey's 'Box of Pin-Ups'
By David Bailey
Located in Bristol, CT
Producer of 'Moulin Rouge' and 'Room at the Top' who was one of the most successful impresarios in the British film industries Art Sz: 14" x 12" Fram...
Photographic Paper
$1,250
Gerald McCann: Dress Designer 1965 Half-Tone Print Photo For David Bailey's Box
By David Bailey
Located in Bristol, CT
Photo Sz: 15"H x 13"W Frame Sz: 20"H x 18"W w/ green lacquer wood frame & lavender mat Gerald McCann, dress designer, is the Peter Pan of the rag trade: he is in his late thirties but, saucily sporting a Bud Flanagan overcoat, still looks a boy. He's a clever businessman with a clever tongue. He's a nice giggly and soft person, but he always surrounds himself with tough people! Gerald McCann (5 November 1931 – 26 June 2019) was a British fashion designer who was considered among the leading lights of the Swinging London fashion scene, alongside names such as Mary Quant, subsequently moving to the United States to continue his career with Larry Levine...
Photographic Paper
Rudolf Nureyev 1965 Half-Tone Photo Print For David Bailey's Box of Pin-Ups
By David Bailey
Located in Bristol, CT
The legendary dancer c1965 Art Sz: 14" x 12" Frame Sz: 19 1/2" x 17 1/2" in bespoke lavender mat w/ Brit racing green
Photographic Paper
P. J. Proby 1965 Half-Tone Photo Print For David Bailey's Box of Pin-Ups
By David Bailey
Located in Bristol, CT
P. J. Proby, Hollywood actor who starred in the movie 'Greatest Story Never Told' & in 1964 appeared in the Brian Epstein's TV spectacular, 'Meet the Bea...
Photographic Paper
$1,200
'Michael Cooper' 1965 Half-Tone Photo Print For David Bailey's 'Box of Pin-Ups'
By David Bailey
Located in Bristol, CT
Michael Cooper, photographer, doesn't so much dress as dress up. And his two-year-old son wears exactly the same clothes. Art Sz: 14" x 12" Frame Sz: 19 1/2" x 17 1/2" In bespoke...
Photographic Paper
$1,200
'James Wedge: The Mysterious Milliner' 1965 For David Bailey's Box of Pin-Ups'
By David Bailey
Located in Bristol, CT
James "Jimmy" Wedge (born 1939) is a British fashion designer, milliner and fashion photographer "He's a hopeless businessman, and though he should have made a lot of money, one som...
Photographic Paper
$1,800
Brian Morris 1965 Half-Tone Photo Print by David Bailey for His Box of Pin-Ups
By David Bailey
Located in Bristol, CT
Manager of the Ad Lib made it for a time the most successful nightclub in the world! Art Sz: 14"H x 12"W Frame Sz: 19 1/2"H x 17 1/2"W in bespoke lavender mat w/ Brit racing green ...
Photographic Paper
Emma in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, April 1984
By Jonathan Becker
Located in New York, NY
Emma in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, 1984 Pão de Açucar, (Sugarloaf Mountain), Rio’s defining landmark looms in the background. Photographed by Jonathan Becker Contemporary 14" x 14.5...
Platinum
George Platt Lynes Original B&W Fashion Photograph from Vogue Magazine
By George Platt Lynes
Located in Palm Springs, CA
This silver gelatin photograph was printed in New York City in the 1990s from the original negative. George Platt Lynes (1907 to 1955) was a legenda...
Other
School Wall Chart, Valletta, Fortress and Harbour
Located in Wolfurt, AT
This poster with a photo of the city Valletta (Malta) was produced by Europa et Schola Edition and used in schools for cultural education. Foto: Government Tourist Board, Malta; H...
Paper
$5,400
H 18.5 in W 21 in D 0.07 in
Frida with Granizo, Version 2, Coyoacan - Limited Edition Black and White Photo
By Nickolas Muray
Located in Denton, TX
Frida with Granizo, Version 2, Coyoacan by Nickolas Muray is a limited edition platinum print featuring Mexican painter Frida Kahlo with her arm wrapped around her pet deer. Edition...
Platinum
$3,000
H 13 in W 19 in
1960s Limited Edition Black and White Photograph, Martin Luther King, MLK, 13x19
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
Martin Luther King (MLK), 1964 by Leonard Freed is an iconic black and white documentary photograph, a portrait of one of the most influential African American personalities and civi...
Archival Ink, Photographic Film, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
$2,650
H 19 in W 13 in
Muscle Boy Photograph, Limited Edition 11/15, Harlem, New York City 1963, Signed
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
Muscle Boy is an iconic image by Leonard Freed who was a pioneer in documentary photography. In this photo a boy flexes his muscles for the camera perhaps making a statement about...
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigme...
$2,350
H 13 in W 9 in
Williamsburg, New York City, Jewish, Street Photography 1950s, Limited Edition
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
Capturing the Jewish diaspora and the Hasidic community in Brooklyn, New York in the 1950s, this is a subject which Jewish American photographer Leonard Freed from Brooklyn widely co...
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigme...
$2,925
H 20 in W 16 in
Muscle Boy, New York, Signed Archival Iris Print, Harlem, 1963, Edition 25/100
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
Muscle Boy, Harlem, 1963 by Leonard Freed is a signed and numbered archival Iris print. The edition 25/100 was in a planned edition of 100 and halted at 25 prints (as annotated on ve...
Black and White, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital...
Framed Vintage Life-Size Marilyn Monroe Pin-Up Poster
Located in Chicago, IL
A super fun vintage framed life-size pin-up poster of a young Marilyn Monroe in a red and white striped bikini and showing her Classic shining smile.
Paper
Woman With Flag, Mexico City
By Tina Modotti
Located in Carmel, CA
From a Portfolio printed by Mother Jones. Authorized copy. Stunning reproduction. Limited Edition. Certification of Authenticity. Embossed with stamp stating from the original negat...
Platinum
$3,000
H 20 in W 16 in D 0.1 in
Babe Ruth - Baseball, Sports, Athlete, MLB, New York Yankees, Portrait
By Nickolas Muray
Located in Denton, TX
Babe Ruth by Nickolas Muray is a black and white portrait of the iconic baseball player. Considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Babe Ruth played for the Atlanta...
Platinum
$1,600
H 24 in W 17 in
Tree, Color Photograph of Surma Tribe Boys, Africa, 24x17, Edition of 5, Signed
By Jean-Michel Voge
Located in New york, NY
A contemporary color photograph by Jean-Michel (JM) Voge, Tree, 1996 is a portrait of Surma Tribe boys from the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, Africa. This is an...
Archival Paper, Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digi...
Box of Pin-Ups 1965, Rare First Edition David Bailey Portfolio
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
An iconic work that propelled David Bailey's career and stands as the greatest photographic representation of the Swinging Sixties. This seminal collection of portraits by Bailey, printed in 1965, is the most iconic representation of the Swinging Sixties. The subjects, the most famous faces of the time, range from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Royalty, aristocrats on to film stars, The Kray Twins...
Paper
The Earl of Snowdon 1965 for David Bailey's Box of Pin-Ups
By David Bailey
Located in Bristol, CT
c.1965 b&w photo of Tony Armstrong-Jones aka The Earl of Snowdon shot by David Bailey for his 1st & now iconic portrait folio "Box of Pin-Ups" Image Sz...
Photographic Paper
Sold
H 14 in W 12 in
Donald Grollman aka 'The Bongo Wolf' 1965 For David Bailey's Box of Pin-Ups
By David Bailey
Located in Bristol, CT
David Bailey b&w photo of Donald Grollman aka Bongo Wolf c1965 Art Sz: 14"H x 12"W Frame Sz: 19 1/2"H x 17 1/2"W In bespoke lavender mat w/ Brit racing green Bongo Wolf was a le...
Photographic Paper
Sold
H 14 in W 12 in
Vidal Scissors Sassoon 1965 Half-Tone Photo Print For David Bailey's Box Pin Ups
By David Bailey
Located in Bristol, CT
Vidal Sassoon, CBE (1928-2012). British hairdresser to the stars! 1965 Art Sz: 14" x 12" Frame Sz: 19.5" x 17.5" in bespoke lavender mat w/ Brit racing...
Photographic Paper
David Bailey & Peter Evans – Goodbye Baby & Amen 1969
By David Bailey, David Bailey and Peter Evans 1
Located in CA, CA
First edition, published by Condé Nast/Collins, 1969. Goodbye Baby & Amen, A Saraband For The Sixties. This remarkable monograph encompasses the utopia and success of the 1960s through the work of the most iconic photographer of the era. Peter Evans...