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.
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
$27,292
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, 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
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
$47,846
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
Portrait of Mickey Rouke by David Bailey - 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
Portrait of Tom Selleck by David Bailey - 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
Portrait of John Turturro by David Bailey - 1990s
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
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
![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
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
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
$40,938
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
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
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
$16,375
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
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
$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
$27,292
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
$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
Cranston Richie
By Ralph Eugene Meatyard
Located in New York, NY
From a portfolio of ten gelatin silver prints from original Meatyard negatives (1959-71) Printed April 1974 Edition of 130 Credit stamp, verso 7 x 7 inches, image 15 x 12 inches, mount This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “This image probably owes some of its inspiration to the abnormal characters in the stories of Flannery O’Connor’s 1955 collection, "A Good Man is Hard to Find." But Meatyard was also looking at Giorgio de Chirico and the European Surrealists and here employs their penchant for the lifeless mannequin figure. A headless dressmaker’s dummy...
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...
Archival Ink, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigme...
'Tennis Legends' 1980 Silver Gelatin Print
Located in London, GB
'John McEnroe' 1981 Silver Gelatin Print by Watfiord / Mirror Group Archives. Wimbledon 3rd Day: John McEnroe. June 1981 The famous tennis star icon won at the All England Club championships that year, finally beating his long term rival Bjorn Borg...
Silver Gelatin
$1,340
H 30 in W 40 in
Spectator Tennis (1938) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized
By H. Armstrong Roberts
Located in London, GB
Spectator Tennis (1938) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print - Oversized (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Alamy) 1st December 1938. Spectators watching a tennis match at a country club. Addi...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$2,250
H 39 in W 39 in D 0.1 in
"W 2" Black & White Photography 39" x 39" inch Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian
By Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"W 2" Black & White Photography 39" x 39" inch Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by ...
Photographic Paper
$1,850
H 39 in W 31 in D 0.1 in
"Nest" Black & White Photography 39" x 31" in Ed. 1/7 by Olha Stepanian
By Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Nest" Black & White Photography 39" x 31" in Ed. 1/7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the artis...
Photographic Paper
$1,850
H 35.5 in W 27.5 in D 0.1 in
"Black and White" Photography 35.5" x 27.5" inch Edition 1/7 by Olha Stepanian
By Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Black and White" Photography 35.5" x 27.5" inch Edition 1/7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the...
Photographic Paper
$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
$423
H 16 in W 20 in
Princess Audrey (1953) Limited Edition Silver Gelatin Print
By Phillip Harrington
Located in London, GB
Princess Audrey (1953) (Photo By Phillip Harrington) Audrey Hepburn preparing for a scene in the 1953 film “Roman Holiday” dir. William Wyler, in which Hepburn plays Ann, the crown princess of a European nation, whose state visit to Rome, Italy, turns into the adventure she'd hoped for when she meets American journalist, Joe (Gregory Peck). Assisting Hepburn is dresser Sally Gordon, and in the background is the costume designer Edith Head. Additional Information: Unframed Paper Size: 16x20'' Note image size may vary from paper size - please contact us directly for exact image dimensions Printed Later Limited Edition Silver Gelatin Fibre Print NOTE OTHER SIZES OF THIS IMAGE AVAILABLE 10 x 12'' 12 x 16'' 16 x 20'' 20 x 24'' 20 x 30'' FRAMING AVAILABLE ON REQUEST About the Artist: Phillip A. Harrington was born in 1920 and grew up in Holland, Michigan. He developed an interest in photography at an early age, joining the high school camera club at 16. At the age of 19, Harrington moved to New York City to study at the Clarence. H. White school of photography, a prestigious institution with graduates such as Margaret Bourke-White, Dorothea Lange, Laura Gilpin...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$350
H 7.88 in W 7.88 in D 0.04 in
After midnight - Polaroid, Black and White, Women, 21st Century, Nude
By Kirsten Thys van den Audenaerde
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
After midnight - 2020 20x20cm, Edition of 7 plus 2 Artist Proofs, Archival C-Print based on the Polaroid. Signed on the back and with certificate. Artist inventory PL2020-932. No...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
$2,250
H 49 in W 39 in D 0.1 in
"Nest" Black & White Photography 49" x 39" in Ed. 1/3 by Olha Stepanian
By Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Nest" 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 artist No...
Photographic Paper
$700
H 19.69 in W 19.69 in D 0.04 in
Self - Contemporary, Nude, Women, Polaroid, 21st Century, Color
By Kirsten Thys van den Audenaerde
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
'Self' part of the series 'Hands down' 2019, 50x50cm, Edition of 7 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid, not mounted. Signature label with certificate....
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
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