Norman parkinson biography

Norman Parkinson

Norman Parkinson (21 April 1913 – 15 February 1990) was an English portrait and fashion photographer. His work revolutionised British fashion photography, as he moved his subjects out of the studio and used outdoor settings. While serving as a Royal Air Force photographer in World War II, he started with Vogue magazine, discovering several famous models. He became an official royal photographer in 1969, taking photographs for Princess Anne's 19th birthday and the Investiture portrait of Charles III as Prince of Wales. Many other royal portraits included official portraits of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother for her 75th birthday. He was known for using elements of humour in his photographs. Parkinson received many honours during his life including the Royal Photographic Society's Progress Medal, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Society of Magazine Photographers, a Google Doodle, and a British postage stamp.

Norman Parkinson

English portrait and fashion photographer

Norman Parkinson

CBE

Born

Ronald William Parkinson Smith


(1913-04-21)21 April 1913

London, England

Died15 February 1990(1990-02-15) (aged 76)

Singapore

StylePortrait and fashion photographer
Spouses

Margaret (Peggy) Mitchell-Banks

(m. 1935)​

Thelma Woolley née Blay

(m. 1942)​

Wenda Rogerson

(m. 1951)​
AwardsCBE

Norman ParkinsonCBE (21 April 1913 – 15 February 1990) was an English portrait and fashion photographer. His work revolutionised British fashion photography, as he moved his subjects out of the studio and used outdoor settings. While serving as a Royal Air Force photographer in World War II, he started with Vogue magazine, discovering several famous models. He became an official royal photographer in 1969, taking photographs for Princess Anne's 19th birthday and the Investiture portrait of Charles III as Prince of Wales. Many other

Norman Parkinson

English, 1913-1990

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY:

Norman Parkinson was one of the twentieth century’s most celebrated fashion photographers. He pioneered epic storytelling in his images, taking portrait and fashion photography beyond the stiff formality of his predecessors and injecting an easy and casual elegance into the art. His photographs created the age of the supermodel and made him the photographer of choice for celebrities, artists, writers, and politicians. He was a permanent fixture at historic moments, photographing the British Royal Family, in private and public, as well as leading figures from the worlds of film, theatre, and music. His subjects include Audrey Hepburn, The Beatles, Twiggy, Grace Coddington, David Bowie, Iman, Jerry Hall, and countless others. Ina career that spanned six decades, he dazzled the world and inspired his peers with sparkling inventiveness.

 

Parkinson worked for a wide range of publications, notable Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Queen, Town & Country, and other international magazines, which brought him worldwide

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