In Review: Snowdon: A Life in View

© SNOWDON: A Life in View by Antony Armstrong Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, Rizzoli New York, 2014.

I absolutely love the work of the 1st Earl of Snowdon, so it was a real joy to take a look at his new publication, A Life In View. Curated by the legendary photographer himself, and his youngest daughter Frances von Hofmannsthal, Snowdon: A Life in View looks back on an exceptional life through a selection of 175 iconic full-colour and black-and-white fashion photographs and portraits taken throughout his expansive and influential career. The book also features articles and texts by friends and colleagues of Snowdon who have written about different aspects of his work: Alexandra Shulman on being his editor at British Vogue, Suzy Menkes on his work for Issey Miyake in the 1980s, A.A. Gill on his documentary work, Grace Coddington on being his model and editor, and Lisa Immordino Vreeland on his correspondence with Diana Vreeland. 

Princess Margaret, 1959. Photograph by Snowdon / Courtesy of Trunk Archive

At the start of his photography career in the early 1950s Snowdon focused on theater, fashion, and society subjects, and began a six-decade career with British Vogue. In 1960, he married Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, in the first globally televised Royal wedding.  In the early 1960's Snowdon worked with The Sunday Times magazine on a range of documentary subjects from mental health to loneliness, and in 1965 Private View was published—an extensive and beautiful book on the London art scene which has now become a cult classic. 

Nureyev/Fontaine in Sunday Times Magazine, 1961. Courtesy of Snowdon.

Over his prolific career Snowdon has photographed a vast range of cultural figures like Cecil Beaton, Charlie Chaplin, David Bowie, Marlene Dietrich, Bridget Riley, David Hockney, Serge Gainsbourg, Yves Saint Laurent, and Jack Nicholson that are featured in the book, amongst many others. In addition to iconic portraits, and legendary fashion images, archival material in the book includes previously unpublished Polaroids, private scrapbooks, and letters. As his daughter, and collaborator on this book, Frances von Hofmannsthal, states; “This book of stories and photographs only makes up a small fraction of my father’s work. The idea is not that it be a complete view, but a very personal one, put together with affection and curiosity, with a love and a lifetime of familiarity.”

Diana Vreeland. Photograph by Snowdon / Courtesy of Trunk Archive.

If you're in London make sure you go along to a special Snowdon exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.  Snowdon has given 130 original prints including many of his iconic images to the National Portrait Gallery, and this gift is being celebrated by a display of his photographs curated by Helen Trompeteler, the National Portrait Gallery’s Assistant Curator of Photographs.

The exhibition runs until the 21 Jun 2015, with free admission. To find out more about the exhibition click here. 

Marlene Dietrich, Cafe de Paris, 1956. Photograph by Snowdon / Courtesy of Trunk Archive.

In Review: Marella Agnelli, The Last Swan

Henry Clarke/Vogue © Condé Nast Publications

Marella Agnelli is perhaps one of the greatest tastemakers, and The Last Swan chronicles her life through many personal memoirs and anedoctes, as well as providing an unprecedented tour through many of her glorious homes and gardens.

Marella and Gianni at the Black and White Ball,1966, Ray Scott Morrison

Nicknamed “The Swan” by Richard Avedon when he photographed her iconic portraits in 1953, Marella Agnelli  was not only one of the great beauties of the last century, but also the most elegant and cultured of that exclusive club which famously included Babe Paley, Gloria Guinness, Slim Keith and C.Z. Guest among others.

Villa Frescot by Oberto Gili

Born the Neapolitan princess Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto, she became Marella Agnelli in 1953 upon her marriage to Gianni Agnelli, the Fiat industrialist. However, the innate style for which she is internationally revered  dates back to her New York internship with photographer Erwin Blumenfeld, and her time as a Vogue contributor in the 1950s and 60s, when she also appeared in its pages. One of the most photographed women of jet-set society, Marella was captured not only by Avedon, but Irving Penn, Henry Clarke, Horst, and Robert Doisneau.

Marella at Villa Bona, 1969, Ugo Mulas.

I've always been particularly interested in Agnelli's relationship with Jacqueline Kennedy, and it is great to see this addressed in the book. Simply put, this book is perfect for any individual interested in fashion, high society and glorious homes, and it deserves a place in your library!

Purchase The Last Swan here.

Villa Frescot by Oberto Gili

REVIEW: Architecture of Diplomacy: The British Ambassador's Residence in Washington

Copyright: The Architecture of Diplomacy: The British Ambassador's Residence in Washington, Flammarion, 2014

Since opening its doors in 1930, the British Ambassador’s Residence has been considered the premier diplomatic address in Washington. Designed by the celebrated British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, whose work ranges from vernacular and domestic architecture to the imperial splendour of his designs for the city of New Delhi, the  Residence combines elements from the neoclassical English country house with influences from American  architecture. His only building in the United States, its majestic interiors, exteriors and gardens in the English style have been delighting Washington’s social and political elite for over eighty years.

Architecture of Diplomacy © Eric Sander

Lutyens always conceived of his buildings in three dimensions, in contrast to the modernist placing of function ahead of form. Nowhere in the Residence is his mastery of dimension and his generous use of space seen to better effect than in the dazzling Grand Staircase. Lutyens employed a similar double staircase design at the Viceroy's House in New Delhi, with a large space above open to the sky. 

The Architecture of Diplomacy is the first book to be written about the residence, and it explores the building's design and the history that has unfolded within its walls. The book is written by Anthony Seldon and Daniel Collings, with photographs by Eric Sander and James Osen. It also has a foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales.

Architecture of Diplomacy © Eric Sander

The west side of the Residence, viewed from the steps leading up to the swimming pool.

Through specially commissioned photography that lavishly illustrates the house and its extensive gardens, this book leads the reader behind the elegant gates on Massachusetts Avenue deep into the corridors of power. The book combines a masterful account of the history of the house and gardens with previously untold stories of visiting royalty, presidents, prime ministers and celebrities, to show why this Residence, its architecture and gardens occupy such a special place in the diplomatic history of the United Kingdom in the United States.

Architecture of Diplomacy © Eric Sander Lutyens' stunning Main Corridor comprises the principal East-West axis of the Residence. 

Those familiar will know that its neighbours include the Vice President's official residence, the Naval Observatory as well as Hillary Clinton's Washington D.C. residence. I've been fortunate to visit the Embassy and it is as spectacular as this sublime book shows. If you're a Brit in America, or an American in the UK, this book should have a place in your collection.

Architecture of Diplomacy © Eric Sander

At this point, overlooking the pool, we are now at the highest point on the site, a full twenty-three feet above the level of the entrance to the Chancery off Massachusetts Avenue.

Find out more about the party that accompanied the book launch by checking out Carol Ross Joynt's review of the party. 

Architecture of Diplomacy © Eric Sander

A view of the Ballroom looking southwards across the Main Corridor, through the Portico

outside the door and into the Garden. The three doors and two mirrors on this south side offer a perfect echo of those on the north side.