Art | February 12, 2013
Camera Artist: The Portraiture of Cecil Beaton
Kris Somerville
Amid the discarded garments, feather boas, parasols and scarves littering the canopy bed, a young Cecil Beaton, just sent down from Cambridge, watched his mother at her dressing table as she pinned a lily to the bodice of her dress. He reveled in the delicacy of her beauty and the pageantry of dressing up. The gown he had selected for her was pale green matte crêpe and embroidered with crystals. She wore a diamond headdress with leaves. As Cecil snapped pictures of her reflection in the triptych mirror with his Brownie box camera, he repeated his mantra: “I don’t have a middle-class bone in my body.”
This feature is not currently available online.
If you are a student, faculty member, or staff member at an institution whose library subscribes to Project Muse, you can read this piece and the full archives of the Missouri Review for free. Check this list to see if your library is a Project Muse subscriber.
Want to read more?
Subscribe TodaySEE THE ISSUE
SUGGESTED CONTENT
Art
Jan 08 2024
Robert Henri: Art for Life’s Sake
Robert Henri: Art for Life’s Sake In biographies of American artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Robert Henri’s name appears often. While he was known as cofounder… read more
Art
Dec 18 2023
Edward Hopper and the Art of Voyeurism
Edward Hopper and the Art of Voyeurism Kristine Somerville Edward Hopper didn’t wait for inspiration; he searched for it during his daily walks around New York City. He moved at… read more
Art
Jul 27 2023
Dodo: The Berlin Years
Dodo: The Berlin Years Kristine Somerville In 1923, when she turned sixteen, Dörte Clara Wolff, known since childhood as “Dodo,” was expected to pursue a profession. She had grown up… read more