Identity area
Reference code
Beaton/D/1/9/88
Unique identifier
Title
Date(s)
- 4 January 1960 (Creation)
Level of description
Item
Extent and medium
3p paper
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Photographer, artist, writer, and designer of scenery and costumes. Educated at Harrow and St John's College, Cambridge, 1922-5. Made his name as a photographer through portraits of the Sitwells. Employed by Vogue in London and New York. Published 'The Book of Beauty' (1930). Photographed the Duke of Windsor's wedding, 1937. War photographer, 1939-45. Designed 'Lady Windermere's Fan', 1945. Designed costumes for 'An Ideal Husband' and 'Anna Karenina', 1948. Worked on 'The School for Scandal', 1949, 'Quadrille' for Noel Coward, 1952, 'Turandot', 1961, and 'La Traviata', 1966. Designed costumes for 'My Fair Lady', 1956, and for the film version in Hollywood, 1963. His play 'The Gainsborough Girls', 1951 and 1959, was unsuccessful. Published 'The Glass of Fashion' (1954), and six volumes of diaries. Exhibited photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, 1968. Knighted 1972.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Thanks her for her birthday wishes. The weather has been very cold. Still has a hacking cough. Is annoyed by the Duchess of Kent's stupidity. Would be tempted to tell Philip Hay that he doesn't care "a tupenny toss" whether the article is published or not now that she has cut the final paragraph. But they can at least get the magazine to gives them "a very huge price" for it. Asks Eileen if he has any objections about the letter to Hall. He thinks he "allowed himself to get hot under the collar". Maybe a delay from him will "titillate P. o G." Asks her to whether Lila de Nobili's address is Peter Hall's. Received nice letter from Hansen.