Beaton, Cecil

Childhood and adolescence

Cecil Beaton was born on January 14, 1904 in Hampstead , London , in the family of a thriving wood merchant Ernest Beaton ( born Ernest Beaton , 1867–1936) and his wife Esther "Ettie" Sissons ( born Esther "Etty" Sissons , 1872-1962) . The beginning of family well-being was laid by Cecil's grandfather named Walter Hardy Beaton ( born Walter Hardy Beaton , 1841-1904), who died in the year of birth of his grandson. In addition to his main activity, the father of the future photographer was also interested in creativity and was a good amateur actor. He met his future wife while playing the title role in the play. Etty was the daughter of a Cambrian blacksmith and came to London to visit her married sister ^[7] . Ernest and Etty had four children in total, so Cecil grew up with his younger sisters and brother.

Cecil received his primary education at the Heath Mount School, where he was bullied by the bully and the future classic of English literature, Evelyn Waugh , and “St. Cyprian's School "in Eastbourne , where they recognized his artistic talent - Cecil was a wonderful singer. Both Cyril Connolly and Henry Longhurst wrote in their autobiographies about the beauty of Beaton singing during school concerts ^{[8] [9]} .

Cecil's nanny had a popular Kodak 3A Camera model at the time, ideal for novice photographers, and Cecil taught the basics of photography. The boy often asked his mother and sisters to pose for him. When he gained enough experience, he sent his photos to London magazines under a pseudonym. ^[10]

Cecil studied at Harrow School, but without interest in science, he entered the University of Cambridge , where he studied history, art and architecture, while continuing to study photography. Finally, his pictures began to buy and publish the British magazine Vogue .

In 1925, Beaton left the University of Cambridge without a degree and began studying the work of his father for several months in Holborn . However, this led to nothing, and Cecil decided to engage in trade ^[11] . In the end, the family business passed on to his brother Reggie ( eng. Reggie Beaton ). With the help of Osbert Sitwell, Beaton held his first exhibition in London , which caused a lot of noise.

Career

Believing that he would meet with great success on the other side of the Atlantic, Cecil moved to New York and gradually built up a reputation for himself there. At that time, he had a contract with Condé Nast for photography ^[12] .

Cecil became a professional photographer, having been trained in the workshop of Paul Tankarey ( Eng. Paul Tanqueray ) ^[13] . In 1927, he became a full-time photographer of Vogue magazine and founded his own studio ^[13] . Here he met another photographer named Horst, P. Horst . His other interest was the creation of costumes for charity shows. Fame Biton brought pictures created for the fashion industry, and portraits of people from high society. He also became a full-time photographer for Vanity Fair magazine and began photographing Hollywood celebrities. In addition, he often took photographs of the royal family for official publications and especially liked when Queen Elizabeth posed for him ^[14] . Memorable pictures from the wedding of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson were made by him.

For 15 years between 1930 and 1945, Beaton rented a house in Wiltshire , where he entertained many famous personalities.

After returning to England, during the Second World War, Beaton, on the recommendation of the queen, worked for the Ministry of Information and had to photograph what was happening in the rear ^[15] . At the hospital, he made one of his most famous portraits - a photograph of three-year-old Eileen Dunne who was injured during the bombardment. A picture of a girl in bandages, squeezing her bear in her arms, walked around the whole world. When the image was published, the United States had not yet officially entered the war, but an increasing number of press photos, such as Beaton, helped push the American public to put pressure on the government to help Britain in difficult times ^[10] . Photos of the consequences of the military operations of the Third Reich were also particularly famous.

After the war, Beaton took up the creation of costumes and scenery for the Broadway production of Fan Lady Windermere , in which he also played. In 1956, he did a great job on the Broadway musical “ My Fair Lady ”, which resulted in the work on the films “ Slurry ” (1958) and “ My Fair Lady ”, and both of them brought Cecil Academy Award. On Broadway, Beaton created costumes and sets for the productions of Meadow Harp, Chalk Garden (1964), Saratoga (1959) and Koko (1969). Thanks to this work, he won four Tony awards. In addition, Beaton worked on the design of Puccini's Turandot opera, which went to the New York Metropolitan Opera and in Covent Garden, London .

Cecil also designed academic attire for the University of East Anglia ^[16] .

Illness and death

In 1972 he was elevated to the dignity of chivalry. Two years later, he suffered a stroke, and by the beginning of the 80s, Beaton’s health had finally turned him into an old man. On January 18, 1980, he died of a heart attack in his home at the age of 76.

During his life, Beaton published six volumes of his diaries, covering the period from 1922 to 1974. In 2003, uncensored versions of memoirs were published, distinguished by particularly accurate and frank observations ^[17] .

Beaton was never married and was bisexual , having close relationships with both men and women. His great love was collector Peter Watson ( born Peter Watson ), although they were never lovers. Beaton claimed that he had an affair with American actor Gary Cooper , who had been his close friend for many years. In addition, he mentioned his novels with actresses Greta Garbo and Coral Brown , as well as the British social lion, Viscountess Castlerosse ^[18] .

• Tony Award for Best Costume Design (1955);
• Order of the British Empire (1956);
• Tony Award for Best Costume Design (1957);
• Member of the Ancient Monuments Society (1957);
• Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Slurry (1958);
• Tony Award for Best Costume Design for Saratoga (1960);
• Order of the Legion of Honor (1960);
• The Academy Award for the best work of the art director for My Fair Lady (1964);
• The Academy Award for the best costume design for My Fair Lady (1964);
• Honorary Member of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain (1965);
• Tony Award for Best Costume Design for the Coco musical (1970);
• Knight Bachelor (1972).