Item 5 - Letter to Rudolf Bing

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Reference code

Beaton/D/1/6/5

Unique identifier

GB 275 Beaton/D/1/6/5

Title

Letter to Rudolf Bing

Date(s)

  • 4 December 1963 (Creation)

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1p paper

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(1904-1980)

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.

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Typescript letter in response to Bing's letter dated 29 November. Beaton writes that he is sorry he was unable to speak to Bing during his visit to New York, but that it was rather rushed and made difficult by the President's assassination. He would very much like to work with Alfred Lunt on a new production of 'La Traviata' and plans to begin some preliminary sketches shortly.

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