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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
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 ...
photographer in World War II, he started with ''
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, discovering several famous models. He became an official royal photographer in 1969, taking photographs for
Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...
's 19th birthday and the Investiture portrait of
King Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
as
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
. 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.
Biography
Parkinson (birth name Ronald William Parkinson Smith) was born in London, and educated at
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
. He began his career in 1931 as an apprentice to the court photographers, Speaight and Sons Ltd. In 1934, he opened his own studio together with Norman Kibblewhite, at 1 Dover Street off London's
Piccadilly. From 1935 to 1940 he worked for ''
Harper's Bazaar'' and ''
Bystander'' magazines. In 1941 after leaving Harper's Bazaar he started a long collaboration with Vogue, at first working only occasionally covering the home front, combining that with farming at first in Worcestershire. Some biographies record that during the Second World War he also served as a reconnaissance photographer over France for 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 ...
. From 1941 to 1960 he was employed as a portrait and fashion photographer for ''
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'', ...
''. From 1960 to 1964 he was an Associate Contributing Editor of ''
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
'' magazine. In 1963 he moved to
Tobago
Tobago () is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trini ...
, although he frequently returned to London, and from 1964 until his death he worked as a freelance photographer. He was made a
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 ...
in the 1981
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...
. He was the subject of ''
This Is Your Life'' in 1978 when he was surprised by
Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...
at Hamiltons Gallery in London's Mayfair.
Parkinson died while shooting on location for
Town and Country Magazine
''Town and Country Magazine'' was an 18th-century London-based publication that featured tales of scandals and affairs between members of London's upper classes.
History
''Town and Country Magazine'' was founded by Archibald Hamilton in 1769. ...
in Singapore.
Photography
Parkinson always maintained he was a craftsman and not an artist. From his early days as a photographer up to his death he remained one of the foremost British portrait and fashion photographers. His work, following the lead of
Martin Munkacsi Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austr ...
at ''Harper's Bazaar'', revolutionized the world of British fashion photography in the mid-1930s by bringing his models from the rigid studio environment into a far more dynamic outdoor setting. Humour played a central role in many of his photographs which often included himself. As well as magazine work he was also invited to create the 1985 edition of the Pirelli calendar, working with top fashion models such as
Iman. His years as an official royal photographer began in 1969 when he took photographs for Princess Anne's 19th birthday and a photograph of Prince Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales. Official engagement photographs for Princess Anne followed by her wedding in 1973 consolidated his position. His other notable royal portraits included official portraits of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother for her 75th birthday in 1975. Five years later he photographed her with her two daughters, Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth.
Honours
In 1981, he was awarded the
Royal Photographic Society's
Progress Medal, which "carries with it an Honorary Fellowship of the Society" and later the Lifetime Achievement Award of the
American Society of Magazine Photographers. In the same year a major retrospective exhibition was staged at London's National Portrait Gallery. He received a
Google Doodle
A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...
on 21 April 2013, as well as a British postage stamp to mark the centenary of his birth. The stamp was based on a photograph of Parkinson taken by Roger George Clark and a 1949 fashion photograph.
Discoveries
* He discovered model
Celia Hammond for ''
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
'' magazine in 1959.
* He spotted
Nena von Schlebrügge
Birgitte Caroline "Nena" von Schlebrügge (born January 8, 1941) is a Mexican-born Swedish and American fashion model from the 1950s and 1960s. She started her high-fashion modelling career in London in 1957 and continued in New York City in 1 ...
(the mother of
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...
) at age 14 when she was still at senior school in Stockholm, and brought her to London to model in 1957 for ''
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. In 1960 he also photographed Von Schlebrügge for Jaeger in New York for ''Queen''.
* His photo of
Jerry Hall
Jerry Faye Hall (born July 2, 1956) is an American model and actress. She began modelling in the 1970s and became one of the most sought after models in the world. She transitioned into acting, appearing in the 1989 film '' Batman''. Hall was t ...
sparked
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...
's interest to invite her over to star as the cover model for
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...
's fifth studio album, ''
Siren
Siren or sirens may refer to:
Common meanings
* Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies
* Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology
Places
* Siren (town), Wisconsin
* Siren, Wisc ...
''.
Sausages
Parkinson founded the now defunct sausage company Porkinson Bangers. After missing sausages whilst living on Tobago, he created his own recipe and marketed them in British supermarkets.
Family
He was first married in 1935, in Hampstead to Margaret (Peggy) Mitchell-Banks (1913-1950) who was an artist and illustrator who later married the writer
Peter de Polnay. After the end of his first marriage in the late 1930s he began working with another fashion model, Thelma Woolley (née Blay) whom he married in 1942. In 1947 he met the actress and his most important muse, the model Wenda Rogerson, who became his third wife in 1951.
Publications
* ''Sisters under the skin'' (1978), St. Martin's Press,
* Photographs by ''Norman Parkinson : Fifty Years of Portraits and Fashion'' by Terence Pepper (1981), National Portrait Gallery,
* ''Norman Parkinson: Lifework'' (1984), The Vendome Press, )
* ''Would you let your daughter?'' (1987), Weidenfeld and Nicolson, )
* ''Norman Parkinson'' (1987), Hamilton Galleries, ASIN: B0007BRZFA)
* ''Parkinson : Photographs 1935–1990'' by Martin Harrison, (1994), Conrad Octopus
* ''Norman Parkinson: Portraits in Fashion'' by Robin Muir (2004), Trafalgar Square Publishing, )
* ''Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour'' by Louise Baring (2009), Rizzoli – a tie-in with the exhibition of the same name at
Somerset House, 9 October 2009 – 31 January 2010
* Norman Parkinson with the Beatles, introduction by Pat Gilbert (2016), Rufus Publications
*The Beatles: London 1963, Norman Parkinson, introduction by Pat Gilbert, revised and expanded edition (2018), ACC Art Books ISBN 978-1851499144
*Norman Parkinson: Always in Fashion, (2019), ACC Art Books, ISBN 978-1788840262
Notes and references
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External links
The Norman Parkinson ArchiveNational Portrait GalleryNorman Parkinson's portfolio (107 photos)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parkinson, Norman
1913 births
1990 deaths
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Photographers from London
Fashion photographers
People educated at Westminster School, London
British portrait photographers