- Norman Parkinson
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Norman Parkinson
Norman Parkinson, CBE (21 April 1913 – 15 February 1990) was a celebrated English portrait and fashion photographer.
Contents
Biography
Parkinson (birth name Ronald William Parkinson Smith) was born in London, and educated at Westminster School. 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. From 1935 to 1940 he worked for Harper's Bazaar and The Bystander magazines. During the Second World War he served as a reconnaissance photographer over France for the Royal Air Force. In 1947 he married the actress and model Wenda Rogerson. From 1945 to 1960 he was employed as a portrait and fashion photographer for Vogue. From 1960 to 1964 he was an Associate Contributing Editor of Queen magazine. In 1963 he moved to Tobago, although frequently returned to London, and from 1964 until his death he worked as a freelance photographer.
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 at Harper's Bazaar, revolutionised the world of British fashion photography in the '40s 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 also created celebrated calendars featuring glamorous young women.
Discoveries
- He spotted Nena von Schlebrügge, the mother of Uma Thurman at age 16 when she left her senior school in Stockholm, and brought her to London to model for Vogue Magazine.
- His photo of Jerry Hall sparked Bryan Ferry's interest to invite her over to star as the cover model for Roxy Music's fifth studio album, Siren.
- He also discovered model Celia Hammond for Queen Magazine in 1959.
Books
- Sisters under the skin (1978, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-72746-1)
- Norman Parkinson: Fifty Years Of Style And Fashion (1984), The Vendome Press, ISBN 0-865-65031-4)
- Would you let your daughter? (1987), Weidenfeld and Nicolson, ISBN 0-297-78683-0)
- Norman Parkinson (1987, Hamilton Galleries, ASIN: B0007BRZFA)
- Norman Parkinson: Portraits in Fashion (2004, Trafalgar Square Publishing, ISBN 1-57076-277-5)
- Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour by Louise Baring, (2009, Rizzoli) ISBN 978-0847833429 – a tie-in with the exhibition of the same name at Somerset House, Oct 9, 2009 — Jan 31, 2010
References
External links
Categories:- 1913 births
- 1990 deaths
- English photographers
- Fashion photographers
- Old Westminsters
- Portrait photographers
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
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