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Collection Overview

Creator:
Beaton, Cecil, 1904-1980.
Title:
Cecil Beaton Papers
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/q524jn79c
Dates:
1938-1979
Size:
1 box and 0.4 linear feet
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists chiefly of correspondence of Cecil Beaton, English fashion and portrait photographer and Academy Award winning stage and constume designer for film and theater, with his author friend Hal Burton.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists selected papers of Beaton. Correspondence with author friend Hal Burton, including 81 letters, 18 cards (several of which are undated), and two telegrams, reveal Beaton's regard for his friend. Other letters cover such topics as Burton's criticism of works like Gainsborough and Quadrille and the collaboration of the two men. In additon, there are two letters by Beaton to Mark Boxer giving details of his recent work and of a trip to Japan. Also present are eight letters and two cards to Alastair Forbes, in whic Beaton expresses his appreciation of Forbes. There are three unsigned, autograph letters written in pencil by Greta Garbo, trying to arrange a meeting with "Beatie." One letter to Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, and one Christmas card designed by Beaton and addressed to Diana and Reed Vreeland are included.

Additional papers include editorial correspondence--referring generally to schedules, meetings, reviews, etc.--from Beaton to editors Ned Bradford and Ray Roberts, respectively regarding the publication of The Wandering Years: Diaries, 1922-1939 (Boston: Little, Brown, 1962) and The Best of Beaton (New York: Macmillan, 1968); together with a file documenting Beaton's disastrous dismissal from American Vogue in January 1938 due to the appearance of anti-Semitic propaganda in one of his drawings for the February issue (the magazine was immediately pulled, but only after 150,000 copies were mailed for distribution). Additionally, there is a handful of related material, including a note from Beaton to Ruth Ford, and a folder of printed matter.

Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically by correspondent, followed by photographs, epehmera, and printed material.

Collection Creator Biography:

Beaton, Cecil, 1904-1980.

Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton was an English fashion and portrait photographer and a stage and costume designer for films and the theater. When he was eleven his grandmother bought him a Kodak 3A camera, and he began to teach himself the basics of photography, often getting his sisters and mother to sit for him. He managed to get a portrait sitting with the Duchess of Amalfi, and the resulting images gave Beaton his first piece of published work in Vogue magazine; in 1927 he started working for Vogue on a regular basis. Beaton often photographed the Royal Family for official publication and he also took the wedding pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. During the Second World War, Beaton was posted to the Ministry of Information and given the task of recording images from the home front. After the war, Beaton tackled the Broadway stage, designing sets, costumes, and lighting for a 1946 revival of Lady Windermere's Fan, in which he also acted. His most celebrated achievement for the stage was the sets and costumes for My Fair Lady (1956) which led to two film musicals, Gigi (1958) and My Fair Lady (1964), both of which earned Beaton the Academy Award for Costume Design. In 1972, Beaton received his knighthood, but suffered a major stroke two years later which permanently paralyzed one side of his body. Though primarily homosexual, he did have relationships with women, including the actress Greta Garbo.

Collection History

Acquisition:

Much of the correspondence (Hal Burton, Greta Garbo, etc.) was purchased in June 2007 .

Other papers were purchased in March 2012 . AM2008-06, 2012-78.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Dina Britain on July 10, 2007. Finding aid written by Traci Ballou-Broadnax on July 16, 2007. John Delaney incorporated additional papers in March 2012. Folder Inventory added by Hilde Creager (2015) in 2012.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Cecil Beaton Papers; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/q524jn79c
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Box 1