Practitioner Research: David Bailey
2 min readNov 11, 2020
- David Bailey is an English fashion and portrait photographer, born in 1939, well known for his celebrity photographs. He left school at 15, with little to no qualifications and later learned to use a camera whilst on National Service. After completing his time in the Airforce he was determined to find a career in photography. Despite failing to secure a place at the London College of Printing, in 1959, instead he obtained an apprenticeship at John French’s studio.
- Bailey quickly became involved in fashion photography and rose to fame in the 1960s, after photographing the likes of supermodel: Jean Shrimpton for British Vogue. He played a key part in the “Swinging London” revolution, along-side Terrence Donovan and Brian Duffy. The “Swinging London”, or better known as the “Swinging Sixties”, took place in the UK. People began to stand up for their rights, and express themselves in new ways, with a focus on art, music and fashion. Mini-skirts/dresses, and London shopping areas such as Carnaby Street and Kings Road, Chelsea became a trend due to the popularity of fashion designer Mary Quant.
- In 1965, Bailey exhibited the cultural revolution in a series of large poster-print portraits titled “Box of Pin-ups”. Featuring celebrities such as Mick Jagger, Andy Warhol, the Beatles, Jean Shrimpton and many more key figures of the era. Together, they defined the swinging sixties as well as represented the growing celebrity culture in London. More often than not his black and white portraits are typified by stark backgrounds and dramatic lighting, which has become his signature aesthetic in both old and new work. Today, copies of the popular series can be sold for over £20,000.
