Norman Parkinson

He became an official royal photographer in 1969, taking photographs for Princess Anne's 19th birthday and the Investiture portrait of Charles III as Prince of Wales. Many other royal portraits included official portraits of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother for her 75th birthday. He was known for using elements of humour in his photographs. Parkinson received many honours during his life including the Royal Photographic Society's Progress Medal, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Society of Magazine Photographers, a Google Doodle, and a British postage stamp.

Norman Parkinson studied at Westminster School. The recorded working language is English. Work by Norman Parkinson is recorded in the collections of Tate, Harry Ransom Center and J. Paul Getty Museum. Distinctions recorded are Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

• Name — Norman Parkinson • Birth Name — Ronald William Parkinson Smith • Born — 21 April 1913 • Birthplace — London, England • Place of death — Singapore • Style — Portrait and fashion photographer • Awards — CBE • Illustration — 32 Landford Road, Putney • Illustration — Blue plaque, 32 Landford Road

Parkinson (birth name Ronald William Parkinson Smith) was born in London, and educated at Westminster School. He began his career in 1931 as an apprentice to the court photographers, Speaight and Sons Ltd. In 1934, he opened his own studio together with Norman Kibblewhite, at 1 Dover Street off London's Piccadilly. From 1935 to 1940 he worked for Harper's Bazaar and Bystander magazines. In 1941 after leaving Harper's Bazaar he started a long collaboration with Vogue, at first working only occasionally covering the home front, combining that with farming at first in Worcestershire. Some biographies record that during the Second World War he also served as a reconnaissance photographer over France for the Royal Air Force. From 1941 to 1960 he was employed as a portrait and fashion photographer for Vogue. From 1960 to 1964 he was an Associate Contributing Editor of Queen magazine. In 1963 he moved to Tobago, although he frequently returned to London, and from 1964 until his death he worked as a freelance photographer. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1981 New Year Honours. He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1978 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at Hamiltons Gallery in London's Mayfair. In 1990, Parkinson collapsed with a brain hemorrhage while on a shooting assignment in Sabah, Malaysia for Town and Country Magazine. Accompanied by his friend Mohamed Al-Fayed, he was then flown to Singapore for further treatment, but died there later on.

• He discovered model Celia Hammond for Queen magazine in 1959. • He spotted Nena von Schlebrügge (the mother of Uma Thurman) at age 14 when she was still at senior school in Stockholm, and brought her to London to model in 1957 for Vogue magazine. In 1960 he also photographed Von Schlebrügge for Jaeger in New York for Queen. • His photo of Jerry Hall sparked Bryan Ferry's interest to invite her over to star as the cover model for Roxy Music's fifth studio album, Siren.

Parkinson founded the now defunct sausage company Porkinson Bangers. After missing sausages whilst living on Tobago, he created his own recipe and marketed them in British supermarkets.

He was first married in 1935, in Hampstead to Margaret (Peggy) Mitchell-Banks (1913-1950) who was an artist and illustrator who later married the writer Peter de Polnay. After the end of his first marriage in the late 1930s he began working with another fashion model, Thelma Woolley (née Blay) whom he married in 1942. In 1947 he met the actress and his most important muse, the model Wenda Rogerson, who became his third wife in 1951.