People in Vogue: A Century of Portraits [Hardcover]

Robin Derrick (Editor), Robin Muir (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

The archives of British Vogue define modern portraiture. Its collection remains a stylish barometer of the social and cultural changes that shaped the 20th century. From princesses to rock stars, models to actors, society beauties to world leaders, these are portraits of figures who have made an enduring mark on their age. And just as the pictures are a who’s who of the brilliant and beautiful, the selection of photographers is equally stellar. Daring, discerning, iconoclastic—here are the people who defined their art, including Horst, Beaton, Steichen, Penn, Snowdon, Parkinson, Bailey, and Testino.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This rich volume could well serve as a photographic history of well-heeled British culture during the 20th century, and there's an interesting story behind almost every shot. Edited by Derrick, British Vogue's creative director, and Muir, the magazine's former picture editor, the assemblage includes 350 b&w and color photographs, some previously published and many that never made it into the magazine's pages. A century's worth of artists, actors, politicians, models, royalty and singers-not all of them British-are represented, including blue-blooded novelist Nancy Mitford, a playful Sophia Loren and Queen Elizabeth as a young princess in uniform during World War II. Also posing are Maria Callas, Lee Radziwill, Vivian Leigh, a pensive Peter Sellers and a diminutive Picasso welcoming Allied soldiers into postwar Paris. While it includes the work of many talented photographers-Lee Miller, Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon, for example-what helps set the book apart are the intelligent captions, which tell lesser-known stories about each subject and frequently quote the photographer himself. Of Tennessee Williams, Roloff Beny recalled the playwright had a "curiously upper-class British accent" and a discursive conversational style: "I can't remember anything he said." When Lord Snowdon photographed famed romance writer Barbara Cartland, he noted that "she was clearly unimpressed by my small camera and lack of equipment...she kept a store of her own lights for visiting photographers and gave me very detailed instructions of where to place them." This extensive and beautifully designed collection proves the photo archives at British Vogue to be a fascinating catalogue of a celebrity, wealth and success.
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Review

“…this fab photo book toasts the beauties of our time.” -- US Weekly

This extensive and beautifully designed collection proves the photo archives at British Vogue to be a fascinating catalogue of a celebrity -- Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316725714
• ISBN-13: 978-0316725712
• Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 10.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,540,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good review of vogue notorious people!!!, June 26, 2009

By 

Colette Kikongi (Montreal,QC CANADA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: People in Vogue: A Century of Portraits (Paperback)

Love the book, brief desciptions and fantastics pictures. I like the fact that its in a timeline format: good refresh of your fashion history, like who was popular and had influence in the different eras.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chic People in Vogue, May 22, 2010

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Lili Goldberg "pumpkin" (So. Egremont, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: People in Vogue: A Century of Portraits (Hardcover)

Love this book - the photos are excellent and all the celebrities old and new are amazing.
A great book - a must for everyone's library.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars With Kate Moss on the cover, how can you refuse?, July 18, 2008

By 

A. J. Griffin - See all my reviews
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This review is from: People in Vogue: A Century of Portraits (Paperback)

This is a useful compendium of some great shots from Vogue's past. It brings you from the early days, through the "royal" period (gag!) into the 90s. Those who are into art and fashion photography will find the portraits interesting, and the history of the magazine itself is evident in the accopmanying narrative.

Worth the few dollars you'll spend on it.