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.
![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
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
$27,352
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
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
$47,866
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
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
![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
$27,352
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
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
$27,352
Dr Dre
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Dr Dre, 2001 Archival Inkjet on paper Image: 50.8 x 63.58 cm Sheet: 58.4 x 71.2 cm Edition of 10
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
$16,411
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
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
David Bowie
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
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
Mick Jagger Goats Head Soup Album Art Version
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Mick Jagger Goats Head Soup Album Art Version, 1973 Archival Inkjet on paper Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 101 x 148 cm Sheet: 111 x 158 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
$41,028
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
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
Price Upon Request
Andy Warhol and the Gang, 1965 - David Bailey (Portrait Photography)
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
Andy Warhol and the Gang, 1965 - David Bailey (Portrait Photography) Signed, inscribed with title and stamped with photographer's copyright ink stamps on reverse Silver gelatin print...
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, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigme...
$3,424
H 29.53 in W 21.66 in D 0.08 in
Zarina - Signed limited edition nude art print, Black white photo, Sensual Model
By Ian Sanderson
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Zarina - Limited edition archival pigment print, 1987 - Edition of 5 This image was captured on film. The negative was scanned creating a digital file which is then printed...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Black and White, Giclée, Pigment, Arc...
$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...
$2,800
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...
$2,800
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
$1,369
H 8.15 in W 10.01 in D 0.02 in
The Beatles, Office, Black and White Photography, 20, 7 x 25, 4 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the mo...
Silver Gelatin
$2,500
H 13 in W 19 in
1979 Black and White Photo of Policeman with Puppet and Gun, New York, Ed. 1/10
By Leonard Freed
Located in New york, NY
Policeman with Puppet and Gun, New York City, USA 1979 by Leonard Freed is a black and white limited edition photograph from Freed's Policework series. The photograph, 13" x 19", is an archival pigment print with the photographer's copyright stamp and estate signature by the photographer's widow, Brigitte Freed. The print is in an edition of 10. Available: 1/10, 10/10. Provenance: Freed Estate *** Artist’s Bio: Leonard Freed (1929-2006) was an American photographer from Brooklyn, New York. His "Black in White America" series made him known as a documentarian, a social documentary photographer. Freed worked as a freelance photographer from 1961 onwards and as a Magnum photographer Freed traveled widely abroad and, in the US, photographing African Americans (1964-65), events in Israel (1967-68, 1973), and the New York City police department (1972-79). Freed's coverage of the American civil rights...
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigme...
Divination by Cards
By Rachel Phillips
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Each Cabinet Card is unique, and the image above details the front and back of the card. A handmade display stand made by the artist is also available for $100 – please inquire if in...
Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper
$450
H 20 in W 20 in D 0.02 in
Peter Ruck 'Shaken Not Stirred' 007 Archival Photograph by Getty 20x20
By Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Located in San Rafael, CA
An iconic image by the photographer Peter Ruck. Roger Moore, downs a Martini, July 17th, 1968. Moore had recently been awarded his second Bravo Otto award for most popular television...
Photographic Paper
$3,424
H 28.75 in W 20.87 in D 0.08 in
Michelle-Signed limited edition portrait print, Black, Sensual Asiatic woman
By Ian Sanderson
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Michelle - Signed limited edition archival pigment print, 1997 - Edition of 5 Signed + numbered by artist with certificate of authenticity , unframed Please note. There are th...
Archival Paper, Black and White, Archival Pigment, Photographic Film, Pi...
$513
H 6.46 in W 8.47 in D 0.02 in
Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean) as little child, ca. 1927, 16, 4 x 21, 5 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
Norma Jeane Mortenson or better known as Marilyn Monroe – iconic, beautiful and maybe the most known Hollywood Stars of the 20th century. Born and raised in Los Angeles, USA, she spe...
Silver Gelatin, Black and White
$1,367
H 8.15 in W 10.01 in D 0.02 in
The Beatles, Office, Black and White Photography, 20, 7 x 25, 4 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the mo...
Silver Gelatin
'Ali in Training' by R. McPhedran, Archival Photograph by Getty, 20 x 30
Located in San Rafael, CA
American heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali throws bare-handed punches in the ring while in training for his fight against Brian London, London, England, August 1966. (Photo by R. McPhed...
Photographic Paper
Divination by Wind
By Rachel Phillips
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Each Cabinet Card is unique, and the image above details the front and back of the card. A handmade display stand made by the artist is also available for $100 – please inquire if in...
Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper
$1,367
H 10.01 in W 8.15 in D 0.02 in
The Beatles, Office, Black and White Photography, 25, 4 x 20, 7 cm
Located in Cologne, DE
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the mo...
Silver Gelatin
JOHN HUSTON, 1966
By David Bailey
Located in London, GB
SIGNED AND DATED STAMPED WITH JACK NISBERG COLLECTION INK STAMP ON REVERSE SILVER GELATIN PRINT, PRINTED CIRCA 1966 15 X 12 INCHES PROVENANCE: THE JACK NISBERG COLLECTION