Norman Parkinson (British, –1990)

Timeline

1913
Born April 21 Ronald William Parkinson Smith
1927–1931
Educated at Westminster School London
1931–1933
Apprentices Speights & Son of Bond Street
1934
Sets up the Norman Parkinson studio with Norman Kibblewhite at One Dover Street, specializing in portraiture
1935
First one-man exhibition, including portraits of Vivien Leigh and Noel Coward. Recruited by Harper's Bazaar to take editorial photographs
1937
Follows Edward Prince of Wales to depressed Welsh mining areas and takes a compassionate series of portraits of miners and their families
1938
First color photographs for Harper's Bazaar. Travels to New York to cover the World's Fair for The Bystander. Does covert work for the Air Ministry taking photographs for leaflets dropped over occupied Europe
1935–1940
Monthly commissions for Harper's Bazaar as well as portraits and reportage work for The Bystander
1942
Begins long association with British Vogue
1947
Meets, photographs, and marries Wenda Rogerson, a promising young actress. Wenda goes on with Parkinson to produce his most famous images
1949
Begins working for American Vogue. Photographs London Spring Collection on location near London Landmarks, including the New Look at The National Gallery. Portrait series for British Vogue of artists, writers, intellectuals, theatre and musical personalities
1950
Photographs Paris Collection for British and American Vogue. First visit to Jamaica
1951
Travels to South Africa for a special edition of Vogue and photographs Wenda posed high above Victoria Falls and riding on the back of an ostrich
1953
March issue of Vogue features 12-page portfolio of all the leading British couturiers
1956
Tours round India taking photographs of models Anne Gunning and Barbara Mullen
1958
July Vogue features Italian trip with model Nena Von Schlebrugge, actress Uma Thurman's mother
1963
Moves from Twickenham to Tobago to build a dream house high on the cliffs above the sea
1960–1964
Contract expires with Vogue and recruited as Associate Editor of Queen Magazine, the most influential fashion and features magazine of the early 1960s
1961–1964
Continues work for Queen with world-wide assignments featuring models Celia Hammond, Jean Shrimpton, Melaine Hampshire, Carmen, Pat Booth, and Tania Mallett
1964
Photographs the Beatles at a recording session at Abbey Road Studios. Contract with Queen ends and returns to Conde Nast to work until the mid-70s on British and American Vogue, as well as freelancing for Life Magazine and others
1966
Photographs Prince Philip on royal visit to Tobago
1967
Location work in Rome, including sessions with Twiggy, Racquel Welch, Celia Hammond, and Wenda Parkinson
1968
Elected Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society
1969
First official photographs of Prince Charles at his investiture as Prince of Wales. Also Princess Anne on her horse in Windsor Great Park, and official portraits for her 19th birthday
1971
Photographs Apollonia Van Ravenstein on Bird Island in the Seychelles. Official portraits of Princess Anne for her 21st birthday
1972
Elizabeth Taylor at 40 wearing a wig to match her shitsu dog
1973
Trips to the Algarve and Barbados. Official engagement and wedding portraits of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips
1975
Official photographs for Queen Mother's 75th birthday. 7000-mile journey across Soviet Union with Jerry Hall as model
1978
Quartet publishes his first book "Sisters Under the Skin." Begins regular assignments for Hearst magazine Town & Country
1980
Official photographs for Queen Mother's 80th Birthday, including the "Blue Trinity" portrait of the Queen, The Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret
1981
New Years honors list elevates Parks to Commander of the British Empire. Official photographs of Princess Margaret for her 50th Birthday. First major museum retrospective "50 Years of Fashion and Portraits" held in the National Portrait Gallery, London
1982
Lifetime achievement in photography award for contribution to American magazines by American Society of Magazine Photographers. Elizabeth Taylor at 50 for Life Magazine
1983
First American retrospective opens in New York at International Centre of Photography
1990
Norman Parkinson dies while on assignment in Singapore

Exhibitions

2012
"Norman Parkinson: The Godfather of British Fashion Photography, The Glamour Years," Gallery Vassie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (solo)
2011
"Norman Parkinson 1913-1990," Chris Beetles Gallery, London, England (solo)
"Pink is the Navy Blue of India," toured Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai, India (solo)
2010
"Masterpieces: Norman Parkinson, Terence Donovan, and Patrick Lichfield," The Little Black Gallery, London, England
"Threads," Diemar/Noble, London, England
2009
"Norman Parkinson: British Fashion 1950-1960," Birgit Filzmaier, Zurich, Switzerland (solo)
"Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour," Somerset House, London, England (solo)
"Norman Parkinson," Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan, Italy (solo)
2008
"Fashion," CameraWork, Berlin, Germany
"Norman Parkinson: Fashion Inside and Out," The Parking Lot, London, England (solo)
"Norman Parkinson: Contacts, Cigarettes, Colour," Paul Smith Gallery, London, England
2007
"Norman Parkinson: Retrospective," Moscow House of Photography, Moscow, Russia (solo)
"Norman Parkinson/Philip Treacy," Eleven Fine Arts, London, England
"Muses, Mothers, Models," Bernheimer Fine Old Masters, Munich, Germany
"How We Are: Photographing Britain," Tate Britain, London, England
"Sking," Birgit Fitzmaier, Zurich, Switzerland
2006
"Norman Parkinson: Scene and Unseen," ArtLondon, London, England (solo)
2004
National Portrait Gallery, London, England
Staley-Wise Gallery, New York, USA
Hamiltons Gallery, London, England
1985
Notable Diamonds, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA
1983
Retrospective at International Center of Photography, New York, USA (solo)
1981
"Photographs by Norman Parkinson: Fifty Years of Portraits and Fashion," National Portrait Gallery, London, England (solo)
1978
Photographers' Gallery, London, England
English (US)

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