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 - 1940

Monthly commissions for Harper's Bazaar as well as portraits and reportage work for The Bystander

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

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

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

1963

Moves from Twickenham to Tobago to build a dream house high on the cliffs above the sea

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