Beaton in Vogue

“Beaton in Vogue is a perfect book for the uninitiated or those of us who need to be reminded of the photographic genius that was Cecil Beaton.”

“Perhaps the world’s second worst crime is boredom; the first is being a bore.”

He may not be remembered as being the most democratic or for being the least caustic and certainly not for being shy of his opinions, but he will be remembered as being discerning, talented and witty, by some standards. He might also be remembered as photographer, dandy, satirist, and possibly interior designer.

Sir Cecil Beaton was a lot of things but he was not boring and he was rarely bored.

This soft covered edition of the book, originally published over a decade ago,  is a fabulous way to remember the artistry and wit of one of the great personalities of the 20th century. Sir Beaton was an incomparable wit, photographer, and raconteur during his life. Through his endless social connections he was able to chronicle “society” as it was known then, as well as the war as a correspondent and most famously via his affiliation with Vogue and Condé Nast himself.

While the title of the book may lead you to think that it concentrates on only his fashion work, this is certainly not the case, as Beaton in Vogue contains a vast amount of illustrations, gouaches, and photos that spanned his long and prolific career.

One of the major highlights—indeed honors—was being the photographer chosen by the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to photograph their wedding, not to mention being chosen by the late queen mum and Queen Elizabeth to photograph various landmark moments of their lives.

And one very interesting tidbit in Beaton in Vogue reveals that he was chosen to be the photographer of record for every guest that arrived at the very famous Rothschild bal masque, known as the Proust Ball, given at Ferrieres in 1971. Some of his most highly recognizable photos originated from that magical even as well as some of his most iconic images such as that of Elizabeth Taylor dripping in diamonds and Marisa Berenson as Marchesa Casati and hundreds of other luminaries captured by his discerning eye.

Beaton in Vogue is a perfect book for the uninitiated or those of us who need to be reminded of the photographic genius that was Cecil Beaton.