RSS
Twitter
Delicious
Self-portrait of Vogue photographer Cecil Beaton in Haiti
Cecil Beaton was a workaholic before the term existed. He also was an inveterate globe-trekker and fashionable houseguest, a winning combination if there ever was one. Many an upper-crust vacationer – whether on Long Island, in Biarritz, or on one of the Greek Isles – arrived at the breakfast table to find Beaton at work. Often he was simply sketching his surroundings, but just as frequently, he was writing a journal entry, an article for Vogue, or a letter (making arrangements for his next stop, no doubt).
Beaton was not a particularly good photographer from a technical standpoint. He used cheap cameras and film, didn’t care for printing, and certainly didn’t know how to develop film. When he first began shooting for Condé Nast, the publisher had to order him to learn how to use an 8 x 10 plate camera, instead of his cheap Kodak, so his photos would be sharp enough to publish. Before Beaton had the Condé Nast studio staff at his disposal, his maid was developing his film in the bathtub!
What made Beaton great was his knack for choosing desirable locations, many of which were off the beaten path, at least for the time. In 1935, one of his stops was the island nation of Haiti. He became enamored with the island and its people and chronicled the trip with a long article and series of photographs in Vogue.
Reproductions of his photographs from the story are now available as prints on the Condé Nast Store, with 50%* of the sale price of each image benefiting the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund and its ongoing relief efforts after the recent earthquakes. Click here to see them. You can also read more about the story from Vogue’s perspective here.
*Proceeds of sales in AL, IL, MA, ME, and SC will NOT be donated to the Red Cross. The American Red Cross name and emblem are used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, company, opinion or political position. The American Red Cross logo is a registered trademark owned by the American Red Cross.
