Photograph
March 1945 (photographed), 1946 (Published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Photograph depicting Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) Buckingham Palace, 1945. Seated, three-quarter length, to left. Wearing an oval neck crinoline gown with puffed sleeves, designed by the British fashion designer Sir Norman Hartnell (1901-1979). The dress is embroidered with sequins to form floral patterns. The princess also wears a double-string pearl necklace. She turns away from the camera, her expression still and thoughtful; she is seen in profile with her hands resting in her lap. Light from behind her, highlights her shoulders and the curls in her hair, as well as illuminating fresh flowers which surround her. A backdrop depicts an enlarged and adapted section of 'The Swing' by the French painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | photography |
| Brief description | Royal Portrait by Cecil Beaton (1904-1980). Photograph depicting Priness Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) Buckingham Palace, 1945. |
| Physical description | Photograph depicting Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) Buckingham Palace, 1945. Seated, three-quarter length, to left. Wearing an oval neck crinoline gown with puffed sleeves, designed by the British fashion designer Sir Norman Hartnell (1901-1979). The dress is embroidered with sequins to form floral patterns. The princess also wears a double-string pearl necklace. She turns away from the camera, her expression still and thoughtful; she is seen in profile with her hands resting in her lap. Light from behind her, highlights her shoulders and the curls in her hair, as well as illuminating fresh flowers which surround her. A backdrop depicts an enlarged and adapted section of 'The Swing' by the French painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806). |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | '292-19' (Written in pencil on reverse.) |
| Gallery label | Princess Elizabeth, Buckingham Palace
March 1945
For his last wartime sitting at Buckingham Palace, Beaton revived the allure of his pre-war photographs. His new studies of Princess Elizabeth, published in February 1946, evoked the same dreamy atmosphere as the earlier portraits of her mother. Backlighting was used to create a bright aureole around the Princess’s shoulders and hair.
Gelatin silver print
Ph.1772-1987
(2012) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed to the Museum in 1987 by Eileen Hose, secretary to the photographer |
| Production | Cecil Beaton photographed members of the royal family from 1930-1979. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
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| Bibliographic reference | Strong, Roy C. Cecil Beaton: the royal portraits. London: Thames and Hudson, c1988. p. 104 |
| Other number | 292-19 - Beaton's number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | PH.1772-1987 |
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| Record created | February 21, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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