Drawing

1922–1974

Diaries, 1922–1974

Six volumes of his diaries, spanning the years 1922–1974, are published in his lifetime. According to Hugo Vickers, who edited a fuller edition, opinions in the published volumes are softened, whereas in the originals Beaton can be truly venomous.

1930–1945

Leases Ashcombe House in Wiltshire

At the country estate of Ashcombe House he entertains many notable figures and develops his theatrical style of interior decoration.

late 1930s

Begins a long association with the royal household

From the late 1930s he photographs Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), his favourite royal sitter, and later Elizabeth II, over several decades. After one successful sitting he even kept the Queen Mother’s scented handkerchief as a memento.

1938

Scandal at American Vogue and dismissal

He inserts small but legible anti-Semitic phrases into an illustration about New York society in American Vogue; the issue is recalled and reprinted, and Beaton is dismissed from the magazine.

1940

Moves to 8 Pelham Place

He settles in a terraced house in Kensington built in 1833 and decorates it eclectically; over more than 35 years there he photographs John Osborne, Arthur Miller, Mick Jagger, Benjamin Britten, Twiggy, Gilbert & George and many others.

1940–1945

Photographer for the Ministry of Information

Back in England, he joins the Ministry of Information on the Queen’s recommendation and records the home front and the damage of the German Blitz; between 1940 and 1945 he takes over 7,000 photographs in Britain, China and Africa. With his style sharpened and his range broadened, the war restores his career.