This book documents the work of one of the truly great pioneers of fashion photography. Norman Parkinson is famous for redefining glamour in fashion as something more spontaneous and modern than it had every been before him. As a true innovator, Parkinson took models out of the artificiality of a studio and placed them in real-life settings from gritty working-class districts of London to the English countryside.

Parkinson got his start at Vogue in London and was a protege of the great Alexandre Lieberman at American Vogue when he came to New York… he produced some of his most innovative work during the Diana Vreeland years at Vogue. His career spanned more than four decades and he worked with some of the greatest models, from Carmen Dell’Orefice to Jerry Hall.

This beautiful book, showcasing 200 color and black & white photos, is a lavish portrait of Parkinson’s long career from the 1930s through the 1980s. It includes a unique collaboration with the Norman Parkinson Archive in London, his iconic photographs for Vogue, Queen and Harper’s Bazaar and a trove of previously unpublished fashion work.

This book is a Must-Have for all fashion enthusiasts and will be appreciated by anyone with a love of the glamorous history of fashion photography.

(c) Norman Parkinson Ltd., provided courtesy of the Norman Parkinson Archive, London

(c) Norman Parkinson Ltd., provided courtesy of the Norman Parkinson Archive, London

Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour
By Louise Baring
with contributions by Grace Coddington and Jerry Hall
Rizzoli New York, 2009