Norman Parkinson (1913-1990) British, Signed Piaget Sponsored Exhibition Poster. The image shows a fashion photograph by Parkinson from 1950, featuring model Jean Patchett wearing an evening gown by Jean Dessès. Signed bottom right of image with marker. Framed. 

Overall Size: 28 1/2 x 21 in. 

Sight Size: 27 1/4 x 19 1/2 in. 

Norman Parkinson was born Ronald William Parkinson Smith on April 21st, 1913 in London, England, and educated at Westminster School. At the age of eighteen he became an apprentice to the court photographers Speaight and Sons Ltd. He soon advanced in their ranks and became interested in fashion photography. In 1934 he opened his own studio together with Norman Kibblewhite in Piccadilly. From 1935 to 1940 he worked for Harper’s Bazaar and Bystander magazines. He was first married in 1935 to Margaret (Peggy) Mitchell-Banks (1913-1950), an artist and illustrator, but divorced her and married a fashion model, Thelma Woolley (née Blay), in 1942. In 1951 he married the model Wenda Rogerson, who remained his primary muse for the rest of his life. In 1941 he began a twenty year collaboration with Vogue, at first covering the home front and farming in Worcestershire. During World War II he served as a reconnaissance photographer over France for the Royal Air Force. From 1960 to 1964 he was an Associate Contributing Editor of Queen magazine. In 1963 he moved to Tobago, although he frequently returned to London, and from 1964 until his death he worked as a freelance photographer. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1981, the same year he was awarded the Royal Photographic Society’s Progress Medal and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Magazine Photographers. He is acknowledged for discovering several famous models throughout his career, including Celia Hammon and Nena von Schlebrugge. He revolutionized British fashion photography by bringing his models from the rigid studio environment into a far more dynamic outdoor setting. Humor played a central role in many of his photographs, which often included himself. As well as magazine work he was also invited to create the 1985 edition of the Pirelli calendar, working with top fashion models such as Iman. His years as an official royal photographer began in 1969 when he took photographs for Princess Anne’s 19th birthday. On February 15th, 1990 Parkinson collapsed with a brain hemorrhage while on a shooting assignment in Sabah, Malaysia for Town and Country Magazine. Accompanied by his friend Mohamed Al-Fayed, he was then flown to Singapore for further treatment, but died while on route.