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.
$27,449
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
Marie Helvin: 4 Vintage Photographic Prints, Black and White, 1981
By David Bailey
Located in Roma, IT
Marie Helvin By David Bailey is a set of four vintage photographic print on Agfa single coated paper. Photographs published on Playboy 2-1981 and realized by British master David Ba...
Photographic Paper
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
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
$48,037
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
$12,500
David Bailey. Signed and numbered 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
Black and White Portrait of Mickey Rourke from the 1980s
By David Bailey
Located in Roma, IT
A striking black-and-white press portrait of American actor Mickey Rourke, photographed during the height of his international celebrity. Wearing dark sunglasses and an oversized tai...
Photographic Paper
Nude Photograph by David Bailey, Black and White, 1980s, Unframed
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
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
Portrait of Tom Selleck, Gelatin Silver Print, Contemporary, 1983
By David Bailey
Located in Roma, IT
A beautiful gelatin silver print realized in 1983, captured at the height of his international fame during the early 1980s. Seated casually before a backdrop of tropical foliage, Sel...
Photographic Paper
Black and White Portrait of John Turturro, 1990s, Unframed
By David Bailey
Located in Roma, IT
A sophisticated black-and-white portrait of acclaimed American actor John Turturro, photographed by the celebrated British fashion and portrait photographer David Bailey. Seated agai...
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
$16,469
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
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 Pigment, Archival Ink
$41,174
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
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
$12,500
Fine Art Print, Jean Shrimpton & SUMO book by David Bailey, Signed & Numbered
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
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
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
![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
$27,449
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
$2,599
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, Digital Pigment, Archival Pigment, Digital, Archival ...
$2,800
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
$3,530
H 29.53 in W 19.69 in D 0.08 in
Mist - Signed limited edition nude art print, Black White Photo, Sensual model
By Ian Sanderson
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Mist - Nude, Topless woman in a mist of water This is a signed 29,53 x 19,68'' archival pigment black and white print, Edition of 5 Ian Sanderson's signature and stamp are in the ...
Black and White, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, P...
$2,888
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...
Archival Pigment, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Ink, Photographic Fi...
$2,200
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...
$4,118
H 29.93 in W 40.16 in D 0.08 in
Franci ..-Signed limited edition nude fine art print, Contemporary, Sensual
By Ian Sanderson
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Franci & Michelle - Signed limited edition archival pigment print, 1988 - Edition of 5 This image was captured on film. The negative was scanned creating a digital file which wa...
Black and White, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Pigment, Ph...
$1,340
H 30 in W 40 in
Nude Portrait - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized
By H. Armstrong Roberts
Located in London, GB
Nude Portrait - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Alamy) A woman poses for a nude studio portrait. Additional Information: Unframed Paper Si...
Silver Gelatin, Black and White
$2,942
H 19.69 in W 13.39 in D 0.08 in
Lisa Archival Pigment Print of Romantic Nude, Signed, Limited Edition
By Ian Sanderson
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
An original signed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm paper by Scottish artist Ian Sanderson (1951- 2020) titled ‘ Lisa ‘ who was captured on film in 1989...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Pigment, Giclée, ...
$411
H 7.88 in W 7.88 in D 0.04 in
The skin I'm in - Contemporary, Polaroid, Nude, 21st Century, Joshua Tree
By Kirsten Thys van den Audenaerde
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
The skin I'm in 2019, 20x20 cm, Edition 1/7 plus 2 Artist Proofs, digital C-Print based on a Polaroid, not mounted. Signed on the back and with certificate. Artist inventory PL201...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid, Archival Paper
$2,942
H 13.78 in W 20.48 in D 0.08 in
Karina -Signed limited edition nude print, Black white, Contemporary, Sexy woman
By Ian Sanderson
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Karina - Limited edition archival pigment print, Edition of 10 Signed + numbered by artist with certificate of authenticity, unframed This is an Archival Pigment print on fiber bas...
Black and White, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Pigment, Giclée, Ar...
$411
H 7.88 in W 11.82 in D 0.04 in
Karine / Contemporary, Color, Photography, Analog, 21st Century, Hollywood
By Tao Ruspoli
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
'Karine', Edition 2/10, 20x30cm, 2018 Art Print on Velvet Watercolor Paper, 310gsm, Bright White, Acid Free Signature label and Certificate. About Tao Ruspoli (born 7 November 1975)...
Archival Paper, Color, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink
$411
H 7.88 in W 7.88 in D 0.04 in
Here and now - Contemporary, Polaroid, Nude, 21st Century, Joshua Tree
By Kirsten Thys van den Audenaerde
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Here and now 2019, 20x20 cm, Edition 1/7 plus 2 Artist Proofs, digital C-Print based on a Polaroid, not mounted. Signed on the back and with certificate. Artist inventory PL2019-7...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid, Archival 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
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