Item 36 - Letter to Lyn Austin and Tom Noyes

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Reference code

Beaton/D/1/3/36

Unique identifier

GB 275 Beaton/D/1/3/36

Title

Letter to Lyn Austin and Tom Noyes

Date(s)

  • 17 November 1954 (Creation)

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Item

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3p paper

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Name of creator

(1904-1980)

Biographical history

Photographer, artist, writer, and designer of scenery and costumes. Educated at Harrow and St John's College, Cambridge, 1922-5. Made his name as a photographer through portraits of the Sitwells. Employed by Vogue in London and New York. Published 'The Book of Beauty' (1930). Photographed the Duke of Windsor's wedding, 1937. War photographer, 1939-45. Designed 'Lady Windermere's Fan', 1945. Designed costumes for 'An Ideal Husband' and 'Anna Karenina', 1948. Worked on 'The School for Scandal', 1949, 'Quadrille' for Noel Coward, 1952, 'Turandot', 1961, and 'La Traviata', 1966. Designed costumes for 'My Fair Lady', 1956, and for the film version in Hollywood, 1963. His play 'The Gainsborough Girls', 1951 and 1959, was unsuccessful. Published 'The Glass of Fashion' (1954), and six volumes of diaries. Exhibited photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, 1968. Knighted 1972.

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Typewritten letter, regarding suggestions for improvements to the play. Beaton acknowledges that such suggestions are, strictly speaking, outside of his remit as Costume Designer, but expresses the hope that his "impertinent suggestions" be received in good spirit, in so far that they are "helpful in the general cause".

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