Picture Perfect: A Century of Fashion Photography from the National Portrait Gallery

16 Nov 2024-20 Apr 2025

Olivia Rose, Strormzy, 2016 Gelatin silver print

Overview

This exhibition showcases the role that fashion plays in defining culture. These portraits have been captured by some of the world’s most celebrated fashion photographers such as Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Norman Parkinson and Miles Aldridge. The subjects are all style icons over the last hundred years including The Beatles, Twiggy and Lily Cole. Fashion styles continually evolve and this survey charts how fashion photography itself contributes to contemporary culture. The exhibition has been curated in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery and is part of the Inspiring People project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Art Fund.