David Royston Bailey (born 2 January 1938) is an English photographer and director, most widely known for his fashion photography and portraiture, and role in shaping the image of the Swinging Sixties.

Early life

David Bailey was born at

Whipps Cross University Hospital Whipps Cross University Hospital is a large university hospital in the locality of Whipps Cross in Leytonstone and is within Epping Forest in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, London, England. It is managed by Barts Health NHS Trust. His ...

Leytonstone Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, ...

, to Herbert Bailey, a tailor's cutter, and his wife Gladys, a machinist. From the age of three he lived in East Ham.Passed/Failed: An education in the life of David Bailey, photographer
", ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

''. Bailey developed a love of natural history, and this led him into photography. As he had undiagnosed dyslexia, he experienced problems at school. He attended a private school, ''Clark's College'' in Ilford, where he says they taught him less than the more basic council school. As well as dyslexia he also has the motor skill disorder dyspraxia (

developmental coordination disorder Developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also known as developmental motor coordination disorder, developmental dyspraxia or simply dyspraxia from the word 'praxis' meaning to do or act, is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaire ...

). In one school year, he claims he only attended 33 times. He left school on his fifteenth birthday, to become a copy boy at the Fleet Street offices of the ''

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds in Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

''. He raced through a series of dead end jobs, before his call up for

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

in 1956, serving with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

in Singapore in 1957. The appropriation of his trumpet forced him to consider other creative outlets, and he bought a

Rolleiflex Rolleiflex is the name of a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei-Werke. History The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier ...

camera. He was

demobbed Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and milita ...

in August 1958, and determined to pursue a career in photography, he bought a

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

rangefinder camera. Unable to obtain a place at the

London College of Printing The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It specialises in media-related subjects including advertising, animation, film, graphic design, photography and sound arts. It has approximately ...

because of his school record, he became a second assistant to David Ollins, in Charlotte Mews. He earned £3 10s (£3.50) a week, and acted as studio dogsbody. He was delighted to be called to an interview with photographer John French.

Professional career

In 1959, Bailey became a photographic assistant at the John French studio, and in May 1960, he was a photographer for John Cole's Studio Five, before being contracted as a fashion photographer for British ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine later that year. He also undertook a large amount of freelance work.David Bailey: Godfather of Cool
, BBC. Along with Terence Donovan and Brian Duffy, Bailey captured and helped create the ' Swinging London' of the 1960s: a culture of fashion and celebrity chic. The three photographers socialised with actors, musicians and

royalty Royalty may refer to: * Any individual monarch, such as a king, queen, emperor, empress, etc. * Royal family, the immediate family of a king or queen regnant, and sometimes his or her extended family * Royalty payment for use of such things as int ...

, and found themselves elevated to celebrity status. Together, they were the first real celebrity photographers, named by

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 servin ...

"the Black Trinity". The film ''

Blowup ''Blowup'' (sometimes styled as ''Blow-up'' or ''Blow Up'') is a 1966 mystery drama thriller film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and produced by Carlo Ponti. It was Antonioni's first entirely English-language film, and stars David Hemming ...

'' (1966), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, depicts the life of a London fashion photographer who is played by David Hemmings, whose character was inspired by Bailey. The "Swinging London" scene was aptly reflected in his ''Box of Pin-Ups'' (1964): a box of poster-prints of 1960s celebrities including

Terence Stamp Terence Henry Stamp (born 22 July 1938) is an English actor. Stamp is known for his sophisticated villain roles. He was named by ''Empire Magazine'' as one of the 100 Sexiest Film Stars of All Time in 1995. He has received various accolades inc ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Jean Shrimpton Jean Rosemary Shrimpton (born 7 November 1942) is an English model and actress. She was an icon of Swinging London and is considered to be one of the world's first supermodels. She appeared on numerous magazine covers including ''Vogue,'' ''Har ...

P. J. Proby P. J. Proby (born James Marcus Smith; November 6, 1938) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Proby recorded the singles " Hold Me", " Somewhere", and "Maria". In 2008, EMI released the greatest hits album '' Best of the EMI Years 1961 ...

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the t ...

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

and East End gangsters, the Kray twins. The ''Box'' was an unusual and unique commercial release. It reflected the changing status of the photographer that one could sell a collection of prints in this way. Strong objection to the presence of the Krays by fellow photographer,

Lord Snowdon Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, (7 March 1930 – 13 January 2017), was a British photographer and filmmaker. He is best known for his portraits of world notables, many of them published in ''Vogue'', ''Vanity Fai ...

, was the major reason no American edition of the "Box" was released, and that a second British edition was not issued. The record sale for a copy of 'Box of Pin-Ups' is reported as "north of £20,000". At ''Vogue'' Bailey was shooting covers within months, and, at the height of his productivity, he shot 800 pages of ''Vogue'' editorial in one year.

Penelope Tree Penelope Tree (born 2 December 1949) is an English fashion model who rose to prominence during the swinging sixties in London. Family Penelope Tree is the only child of Ronald, a British journalist, investor and Conservative MP, and Marietta Pe ...

, a former girlfriend, described him as "the king lion on the Savannah: incredibly attractive, with a dangerous vibe. He was the electricity, the brightest, most powerful, most talented, most energetic force at the magazine". American ''Vogue''s creative director

Grace Coddington Pamela Rosalind Grace Coddington (born 20 April 1941) is a Welsh former model and former creative director at large of American ''Vogue'' magazine. Coddington is known for the creation of large, complex and dramatic photoshoots. A '' Guardian'' ...

, then a model herself, said "It was the Sixties, it was a raving time, and Bailey was unbelievably good-looking. He was everything that you wanted him to be – like the Beatles but accessible – and when he went on the market everyone went in. We were all killing ourselves to be his model, although he hooked up with

pretty quickly". Of model

, Bailey said: Since 1966, Bailey has also directed several television commercials and

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

. From 1968 to 1971 he directed and produced TV documentaries titled ''Beaton, Warhol'' and ''Visconti''. As well as fashion photography, Bailey photographed album sleeve art for musicians including

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

and

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

. One of Bailey's most famous works depicts the Rolling Stones including

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

, who drowned in 1969 while under the influence of drink and drugs. He is seen standing slightly apart from the rest of the group. Bailey was hired in 1970 by Island Records' Chris Blackwell to shoot publicity photos of Cat Stevens for his upcoming album '' Tea for the Tillerman''. Stevens, who is now known as

Yusuf Islam Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later i ...

maintains that he disliked having his photo on the cover of his albums, as had previously been the case, although he allowed Bailey's photographs to be placed on the inner sleeve of the album. In 1972, rock singer

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

was photographed by Bailey for ''Vogue'' magazine, almost naked apart from a snake. Cooper used Bailey the following year to shoot for the group's chart topping ''

Billion Dollar Babies ''Billion Dollar Babies'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Alice Cooper, released on February 25, 1973, by Warner Bros. Records. The album became the best selling Alice Cooper record at the time of its release, hit number one on t ...

'' album. The shoot included a baby wearing shocking eye makeup and, supposedly, one billion dollars in cash requiring the shoot to be under armed guard. In 1976, Bailey published ''

Ritz Newspaper ''Ritz Newspaper'', colloquially ''Ritz Magazine'', sometimes simply ''Ritz'', was a British magazine focusing on gossip, celebrity and fashion.Puttin' on the Ritz again, Andrew Lycett, Media & Marketing, ''The Times'', London, 31 May 1989 It was ...

'' together with David Litchfield. In 1985, Bailey was photographing stars at the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium. As he recalled later: "The atmosphere on the day was great. At one point I got a tap on my shoulder and spun round. Suddenly there was a big tongue down my throat! It was Freddie Mercury." In 1992, Bailey directed the BBC drama ''Who Dealt?'' starring

Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actor of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film ''Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leadi ...

, story by Ring Lardner. In 1995 he directed and wrote the South Bank Film ''The Lady is a Tramp'' featuring his wife Catherine Bailey. In 1998 he directed a documentary with Ginger Television Production, ''Models Close Up'', commissioned by Channel 4 Television. In 2012, the BBC made a film of the story of his 1962 New York photoshoot with

, entitled ''We'll Take Manhattan'', starring Aneurin Barnard as Bailey. In October 2013, Bailey took part in Art Wars at the

Saatchi Gallery The Saatchi Gallery is a London art gallery, gallery for contemporary art and an independent charity opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985. Exhibitions which drew upon the collection of Charles Saatchi, starting with US artists and minimalism, mov ...

curated by Ben Moore. The artist was issued with a stormtrooper helmet, which he transformed into a work of art. Proceeds went to the Missing Tom Fund set up by Ben Moore to find his brother Tom who has been missing for over ten years. The work was also shown on the Regents Park platform as part of

Art Below Ben Moore (born 25 May 1978)Nick Curtis''London Evening Standard'', 25 May 2010. is a British art curator, entrepreneur and artist. He is the founder and curator of Art Below, a contemporary art organisation that places art in public spaces and ...

Regents Park. In October 2020 Bailey's Memoir "Look Again" in co-operation with author James Fox was published by Macmillan Books a review on his life and work.

Fashion

Bailey began working with fashion brand Jaeger in the late 1950s when

Jean Muir Jean Elizabeth Muir ( ; 17 July 1928 – 28 May 1995) was a British fashion designer. Early life and career Jean Muir was born in London, the daughter of Cyril Muir, a draper's floor superintendent, and his wife, Phyllis Coy. Her father ...

landed the role of designer. After working alongside other fashion photographers such as the late

, Bailey was officially commissioned by ''

'' in 1962. His first shoot in New York City was of young model

, who wore a range of Jaeger and Susan Small clothing, including a camel suit with a green blouse and a suede coat worn with kitten heels. The shoot was titled 'Young Idea Goes West'. After 53 years Bailey returned to Jaeger to shoot their AW15 campaign. As menswear subject; James Penfold modelled tailored tweed blazers and a camel coat. Also on the shoot was model, philanthropist and film director

Elisa Sednaoui Elisa Sednaoui (born December 14, 1987) is a model, actress, philanthropist and film director of Syrian, Italian, Egyptian, and French descent. She has appeared in such films as ''Eastern Drift'', ''La Baie du renard'', '':fr:Bus Palladium (film), ...

along with ''GQ'' magazine's most stylish male 2003, Martin Gardner. David Bailey - Flickr - nick step (1)

Awards

* 2001:

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, as part of 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours. * 2005: Centenary Medal and Honorary Fellowship (HonFRPS), Royal Photographic Society. * 2016: Lifetime Achievement award, Infinity Awards,

International Center of Photography The International Center of Photography (ICP), at 79 Essex Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, consists of a museum for photography and visual culture and a school offering an array of educational courses and programming. ...

, New York.

Painting and sculpture

Bailey paints and sculpts. Some of his sculptures were shown in London in 2010, and paintings and mixed media works were shown in October 2011.

TV appearances

In the 1970s Bailey lost some equipment in a robbery and replaced it with the new

Olympus OM system The Olympus OM System was a line of 35mm single-lens reflex cameras, lenses and accessories sold by Olympus between 1972 and 2002. The system was introduced by Olympus in 1972. The range was designed by Yoshihisa Maitani, chief designer for Olympu ...

equipment which was substantially smaller and lighter than contemporary competitors' equipment. He then appeared in advertising promoting the

Olympus OM-1 The Olympus OM-1 is a manually operated 35mm single-lens reflex camera. It is part of the Olympus OM system. History The first model was presented at photokina in Cologne in 1972 and was called the Olympus M-1. Thirteen years earlier, the relea ...

35 mm

single lens reflex A single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a camera that typically uses a mirror and prism system (hence "reflex" from the mirror's reflection) that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. With twin l ...

camera. He subsequently appeared in a series of UK TV commercials for the Olympus Trip camera.

Personal life

Bailey has been married four times: in 1960 to Rosemary Bramble; in 1965 to the actress

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

(divorced 1972); in 1975 to American fashion model and writer

Marie Helvin Marie Helvin (born August 13, 1952) is a British-based American former fashion model, who worked extensively with David Bailey—to whom she was married between 1975 and 1985. In the 1970s and 1980s, she appeared in many fashion stories for B ...

; and in 1986 to the model Catherine Dyer (born 20 July 1961), to whom he remains married. He is a long-time vegetarian and refrains from drinking alcohol. Bailey is an art-lover with a long-held passion for the works of Picasso. His company address is in London; his wife and their photographer son Fenton Fox Bailey are directors. The family maintain a home on Dartmoor, near Plymouth. Bailey was diagnosed with

vascular dementia Vascular dementia (VaD) is dementia caused by problems in the supply of blood to the brain, typically a series of minor strokes, leading to worsening cognitive abilities, the decline occurring piecemeal. The term refers to a syndrome consisti ...

in about 2018, but continued to work, and said in 2021 that it was not affecting his work although he only had three months' memory.

Books

* ''Box of Pin-Ups'', 1964 * ''Goodbye Baby & Amen'', 1969, 2017 * ''Warhol'', 1974 * ''Beady Minces'', 1974 * ''Papua New Guinea'', 1975 * ''Mixed Moments'', 1976 * ''Trouble and Strife'', 1980 * ''Mrs. David Bailey'', 1980 * ''Bailey NW1'', 1982 * ''Black & White Memories'', 1983 * ''Nudes 1981–1984'', 1984 * ''Imagine'', 1985 * ''If We Shadows'', 1992 * ''The Lady is a Tramp'', 1995 * ''Rock & Roll Heroes'', 1997 * ''Archive One'', 1999 (also titled ''The Birth of the Cool'' for USA) * ''Chasing Rainbows'', 2001 * ''Art of Violence'', Kate Kray & David Bailey, 2003 (also titled ''Diamond Geezers'') * ''Bailey/Rankin Down Under'', 2003 * ''Archive Two: Locations'', 2003 * ''Bailey's Democracy'', 2005 * ''Havana'', 2006 * ''NY JS DB 62'', 2007 * ''Pictures That Mark Can Do'', 2007 * ''Is That So Kid'', 2008 * ''David Bailey: 8 Minutes: Hirst & Bailey'', 2009 With

Damien Hirst Damien Steven Hirst (; né Brennan; born 7 June 1965) is an English artist, entrepreneur, and art collector. He is one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is reportedly the United Kingd ...

* ''EYE'', 2009 * ''Flowers, Skulls, Contacts'', 2010 * ''British Heroes in Afghanistan'', 2010 * ''The David Bailey SUMO'', 2019 * "Look Again", 2020

Exhibitions

* National Portrait Gallery 1971 * One Man Retrospective Victoria & Albert Museum 1983 * International Center of Photography (ICP) NY 1984 * Curator "Shots of Style" Victoria & Albert Museum 1985 * Pictures of Sudan for Band Aid at The Institute for Contemporary Arts (ICA) *1985 * Auction at Sotheby's for Live Aid Concert for Band Aid 1985 * Bailey Now! Royal Photographic Society in Bath 1989 * Numerous Exhibitions at Hamiltons Gallery, London. 1989 to now * Fahey Klein Gallery, Los Angeles 1990 * Camerawork Photogallerie, Berlin. 1997 * Carla Sozzani. Milan. 1997 * A Gallery for Fine Photography, New Orleans. 1998 * Touring exhibition "Birth of the Cool" 1957–1969 & contemporary work * Barbican Art Gallery, London – 1999 * National Museum of Film, Photography & Television, Bradford. 1999–2000 * Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden. 2000 * City Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland 2000 * Modern Art Museum, The Dean Gallery, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh 2001 * Proud Gallery London Bailey /Rankin Down Under * Gagosian Gallery. Joint with Damien Hirst "14 Stations of the Cross" 2004 * Gagosian Gallery. Artists by David Bailey. 2004 * Democracy. Faggionato Fine Arts 2005 * Havana. Faggionato Fine Arts 2006 * Pop Art Gagosian London 2007 * Galeria Hilario Galguera Mexico 2007 * National Portrait Gallery – Beatles to Bowie 2009 * Bonhams, London. Pure Sixties Pure Bailey 2010 * Pangolin London. Sculpture + 2010 * The Stockdale Effect,

Paul Stolper Gallery Paul Stolper Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Museum Street, Bloomsbury, London. It was established in 1998. References External links * Contemporary art galleries in London Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Camde ...

, London 2010 * ''David Bailey's East End.'' Compressor House, London, 2012. * David Bailey's ''East End Faces'' London February/May 2013 * ''Bailey's Stardust'', National Portrait Gallery, London 2014 * ''Bailey's Stardust'', National Gallery, Edinburgh 2015 * ''David Bailey Stardust'', PAC – Padiglione di Arte Contemporanea, Milano (Italy) 2015

References

External links

* *
Liz Walker interviews David Bailey, September 1990

2000 interview (text and video)

2006 CNN interview (text and video)

David Bailey British Vogue Covers Archive
* Francis Hodgson,
David Bailey: Still troubling after all these years
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, David 1938 births Living people Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Photographers from London Fashion photographers People from East Ham British portrait photographers English photographers People with dyslexia People with vascular dementia