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.
$27,489
OASIS
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey OASIS, 2006 Archival Inkjet on paper Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 50.8 x 50.8 cm Sheet: 58.4 x 58.4 cm Edition of 15
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
Nude - Photograph by David Bailey - 1980s
By David Bailey
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage b/w photograph realized by David Bailey in 1980s. Copyright and provenance: Playboy. Excellent condition.
Photographic Paper
$48,106
Bob Dylan
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Bob Dylan, 1986 Lambda Silver Gelatin print on paper, framed Signed by the artist, on verso Sheet: 116 x 140 cm Edition of 10
Silver Gelatin
Queen Live Aid
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
Archival Inkjet on paper Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 50.8 x 50.8 cm Sheet: 58.4 x 58.4 cm Framed: 66.5 x 66.5 x 4 cm Edition of 10 + 2 AP
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
David Bailey. SUMO book and FIne Art Print, Andy Warhol.
By David Bailey
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Art Edition (No. 226–300), with the print Andy Warhol, 1965. The book and print are both numbered and signed by David Bailey, accompanied by a bookstand designed...
Silver Gelatin
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
![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
Penelope Tree with Flowers
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Penelope Tree with Flowers, 2022 Unique overpainted photograph comprising archival pigment print with hand embellished acrylic paint on pape...
Acrylic, Archival Pigment
Patti Smith
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Patti Smith, 1978 Archival Inkjet on paper Edition of 15 Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 36.83 x 47.76 cm Sheet: 42 x 59.4 cm
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
Jean Shrimpton (box of pin ups)
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Jean Shrimpton (Box of Pinups), 1965 - printed 2009 Silver Gelatin Signed by the artist, on verso Accompanied by a COA 65 x 51 cm - sheet 90 x 90 cm - framed edition of 30
Silver Gelatin
Alice Cooper
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Alice Cooper, 1973 Archival Inkjet on paper Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 36.83 x 36.86 cm Sheet: 42 x 59.4 cm Edition of 10
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
$16,493
Kate Bush
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Kate Bush, 1978 Archival Inkjet on paper Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 36.83 x 36.83 cm Sheet: 42 x 59.4 cm Edition of 10
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
$12,500
David Bailey. Signed and numbered SUMO book and Fine Art Print, Jean Shrimpton.
By David Bailey
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Art Edition (No. 76–150), with the print Jean Shrimpton, 1965. The book and print are both numbered and signed by David Bailey, accompanied by a bookstand designed...
Silver Gelatin
Catherine Bailey
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Catherine Bailey, 2024 Unique overpainted photograph comprising archival pigment print with hand embellished acrylic paint on paper, framed Signed by the artist in penci...
Acrylic, Archival Pigment
$41,126
Penelope Tree
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Penelope Tree, 2022 Unique overpainted photograph comprising archival pigment print with hand embellished acrylic paint on paper, framed Sig...
Acrylic, Archival Pigment
$27,489
Elton John
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Elton John, 1971 Archival Inkjet on paper, framed Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 50.8 x 50.8 cm Sheet: 58.4 x 58.4 cm Edition of 12 + 3AP
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
Jarvis Cocker
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Jarvis Cocker, 2010 Silver Gelatin print on paper Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 24 x 29.5 cm Sheet: 30 x 38.4 cm Edition of 18
Silver Gelatin
Dizzy Gillespie
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Dizzy Gillespie, 1981 Archival Inkjet on paper Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 36.83 x 46.78 cm Sheet: 42 x 59.4 cm Edition of 15
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
$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
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
Ted Higby at Skyline Rodeo, 1928
Located in New York, NY
Listing includes framing with UV plexiglas, free shipping and a 14 day return policy. Ted Higby at Skyline Rodeo, 1928 15 x 12 inch gelatin silver print Image Size: 14 x 8.5 inches Frame size: 22.5 x 17.5 x 2 inches Edition of 15 Lora Webb Nichols was born in 1883 and grew up in the small mining town of Encampment, Wyoming. At the age of 16 Lora received her first camera and from that moment and for the next few decades she produced work that is both stunning in its singular voice and revealing in the world it opens up for us. At first Nichols photographed her family, friends, and the landscape around Encampment, but when the town experienced a copper mining boom Nichols expanded her scope to become a photographer for hire shooting portraits and industrial photographs. When the boom collapsed, Nichols took the risk of opening her own business in Encampment - The Rocky Mountain Studio - which opened in 1925. The studio ran for ten years, accumulating 24,000 negatives that illustrate the lives and environment of the people living in and around the town while creating a distinctive and surprising body of work. If one was to attempt an analogy – Nichols’ pictures fit somewhere between Lartigue and Lange - joyful and generous while objectively intimate. In particular what seems to distinguish Nichols’ work is the way she sees the world from a female perspective. As Vince Aletti...
Silver Gelatin
$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
$2,250
H 47 in W 39 in D 0.1 in
"Mirage" Black & White Nude Photography 47" x 39" in Ed. 1/3 by Olha Stepanian
By Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Mirage" Black & White Nude Photography 47" x 39" in Ed. 1/3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the ar...
Photographic Paper
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
$2,250
H 49 in W 39 in D 0.1 in
"Hugs" Black & White Photography 49" x 39" in Ed. 1/3 by Olha Stepanian
By Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Hugs" Black & White Photography 49" x 39" in Ed. 1/3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the ar...
Photographic Paper
$2,250
H 39 in W 49 in D 0.1 in
"Cold Hugs 1" Black & White Photography 39" x 49" in Ed 1/3 by Olha Stepanian
By Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Cold Hugs 1" Black & White Photography 39" x 49" in Ed 1/3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the art...
Photographic Paper
$2,250
H 39 in W 39 in D 0.1 in
"I am" Black & White Photography 39" x 39" in Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian
By Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"I am" Black & White Photography 39" x 39" in Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the ...
Photographic Paper
$2,120Sale Price|20% Off
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...
$1,175
H 24 in W 24 in D 0.1 in
"Creating Oneself" Nude Photography 16" x 16" in Ed. of 24 by Olha Stepanian
By Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Creating Oneself" Nude Photography 16" x 16" in Ed. of 24 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the arti...
Photographic Paper
$3,561
H 9.45 in W 11.82 in
Nude Paris Willy Ronis 20th Century French Humanist photography black and white
By Willy Ronis
Located in Paris, FR
Willy Ronis is one of the most famous members of the French Humanist photography. Silver print on photographic paper Hand-signed by the artist lower right Stamp of the artist's stud...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
$3,550
H 15.75 in W 11.82 in
The Hair Willy Ronis Humanist black and white photography woman naked nude
By Willy Ronis
Located in Paris, FR
Willy Ronis is one of the most famous members of the French Humanist photography. Silver print on photographic paper Hand-signed by the artist lower right Stamp of the artist's stud...
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
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
David Bailey. Art Edition No. 1-75
By David Bailey
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Art Edition (No. 1–75), with the print John Lennon and Paul McCartney, 1965. The book and print are both numbered and signed by David Bailey, accompanied by a bookstand designed...
David Bailey SUMO Art Edition Book by TASCHEN
By David Bailey
Located in Napa, CA
This SUMO-sized retrospective celebrates one of the world’s most influential photographers and the culmination of two years researching his archives. Gathering portraits from the 195...
Paper