To mark the occasion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, the Victoria and Albert Museum organized an exhibition of important portraits to tour internationally. The images were drawn exclusively from the Museum’s collection of photographs taken by royal photographer Sir Cecil Beaton and comprised vintage prints as well as new prints from Beaton’s original negatives. Highly-staged and elegant settings were placed alongside charming and informal moments, capturing regal splendour as well as personal intimacy. The photographs were augmented by Beaton’s personal diary accounts, rich with details of many sittings.

Works in the exhibition included charming portraits of the teenage Princess Elizabeth with her parents and sister Princess Margaret, set against elaborate painted backdrops. Also featured is the day of the Coronation in 1953, when Beaton’s camera captured both the grandeur and emotion of the occasion. Beaton’s work as royal photographer also gave him the rare privilege of the first glimpses of the “New Generation” of Royals.

 

Organized and circulated by the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK