Norman Parkinson’s playful, precise eye was foundational to the genre of fashion photography. Parkinson began his career as a society photographer, learning studio techniques which he revolutionized by taking his camera out onto the streets. In his prolific, several decade spanning career, he photographed Audrey Hepburn, David Bowie, Jerry Hall, as well as couture fashion for Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and many other publications. Parkinson never retired from fashion photography; he died in 1990 while on assignment for Town & Country.

Norman Parkinson revolutionized fashion photography in the 1930s by taking models out of the studio and into dynamic
outdoor settings, capturing them in natural light and fluid motion in a style later dubbed “action realism.” His groundbreaking approach replaced stiff, posed portraits with spontaneous, life-filled compositions that celebrated elegance and individuality. By merging fashion with real-world energy—windswept skirts, laughter, and movement—Parkinson redefined the visual language of style photography, paving the way for modern editorial imagery and influencing generations of photographers.

Norman Parkinson boldly adopted color at a time when fashion imagery was still dominated by black-and-white. His vibrant use of saturated tones turned editorial pages into vivid, cinematic scenes that felt modern and aspirational. By treating color as an expressive tool rather than a novelty, Parkinson redefined fashion photography’s visual language, influencing magazines, advertising, and generations of photographers who followed.

Norman Parkinson is a photographer close to The Selects Gallery’s heart, as he is a photographer whose work lives in the archives, much of it still in the dark, waiting to be brought to light. A prolific photographer, Parkinson created over 500,000 images during his career, some of which are found only in the pages of the magazines where they were first published.

Norman Parkinson, born Ronald William Parkinson Smith in 1913, is one of the most celebrated fashion photographers of all time, a recognition earned by his work which created and constantly evolved the genre. The name ”Norman Parkinson” comes from a short-lived partnership between Ronald and another photographer, Norman Kibblewhite: the two combined their names when they opened a photography studio in Mayfair, and Ronald kept the name when the partnership was dissolved.

Starting out as a court photographer on Bond Street in London at the beginning of the 1930’s, Norman learned studio photography techniques and soon become a renowned presence in society circles. His striking photographs attracted the attention of magazines such as The Bystander, The Tatler, and The Sketch, and completely by chance, P. Joyce Reynolds, the editor of Harper’s Bazaar, a relationship which would define Parkinson’s career.

After five years at Harper’s Bazaar, Parkinson moved to Vogue in 1941. He was a versatile photographer for the publication, covering the war as well as fashion and portraits, a position he would hold until 1960. He also worked for the Royal Air Force during this time as a reconnaissance photographer. In 1960, Parkinson left Vogue to become a freelance photographer. He moved to Tobago in 1963, splitting his time between England and the Caribbean Island. He not only shot fashion images and portraits, but opened a pig farm in Tobago.

Norman Parkinson never retired from photography; in fact, he died in 1990 while on assignment for Town & Country, photographing American model Debra Harris in the Malaysian jungle. In a career spanning over half a century, Parkinson cemented himself as a foundational fashion photographer and cultural documentarian. His vast archive contains not only icons from each decade in which he was active, but a narrative of how fashion, culture, and photography evolved, in part due to his undeniable influence and raw creative force.