Sumarie's Story through a Camera Lens

Evening Dress Worn by Wallis Simpson in a Cecil Beaton Photograph

Mainbocher

c.1938

Cecil Beaton photographed the Duchess of Windsor wearing this dress for British Vogue in 1939. To highlight and complement the eighteenth-century silhouette of the gown, Beaton photographed the duchess seated in a Louis XV chair against a Piranesi backdrop. During the late 1930s, as a reaction against sociopolitical realities, fashion and the decorative arts were heavily influenced by period revivalism.

Cecil Beaton was the Duchess of Windsor’s official photographer and played an important role in constructing her public image. The pair first met in 1930, when the duchess was married to Ernest Simpson. Beaton’s initial impressions of Wallis Simpson were far from favorable, describing her as “brawny and raw-boned in her sapphire blue velvet.” On his next meeting, however, which took place in 1934, he found her appearance much changed: “I liked her immensely. I found her bright and witty, improved in looks, and chic.”

Just thinking about people making year-end summaries of their accomplishments and also about reasons to keep yourself alive through the next year. Sorry, it’s a bit of a sappy comic.