Princess Diana.Photo: David Bailey
A striking black-and-white portrait ofPrincess Dianais going on display at the late royal’s former home of Kensington Palace.
The picture shows Diana, who died in 1997, appearing “reserved, stoic and looking away from the viewer,” according to the curators at Historic Royal Palaces.
“For me, it is the most powerful of images from the sitting,” says curator Claudia Acott Williams.
The Kensington Palace exhibit,Life Through a Royal Lens, was unveiled on Wednesday and will be open to the public on March 4.
Conservators hang David Bailey photograph of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Diana is said to have chosen Bailey for his “bold minimalism” and was part of her hope to establish a new photographic identity for herself.
Also included is a previously-unseen shot ofQueen Elizabethand the latePrince Philip. The image is an outtake from a portrait taken of them to mark their 70th wedding anniversary in 2017.
Queen Victoria.Historic Royal Palaces
“This speaks to their relationship with each other — it tells us of the chemistry of them, a husband and wife and not just monarch and consort,” Acott Williams says. “She had created a warm and informal presence but was retreating from the camera. This was something different.”
Bailey has another image in the exhibit of Lord Snowdon, the husband of the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret (who also both lived at Kensington Palace).
Queen Victoria’s private negatives.Historic Royal Palaces
Covering the reign of Queen Victoria to the present day, the exhibition showcases the British royal family’s enduring relationship with the camera — from state ceremonies to royal tours. It captures the Queen as a young princess and daughter of King George VI and shows the original portraits the Queen sat for just weeks after she acceded to the throne in 1952.
King George V & Queen Mary.Historic Royal Palaces
“There is a naturalness and ease that you would never get with a professional photographer,” Acott Williams adds. “It also allows her to create a degree of privacy as she provides the images.”
King George and Queen Mary digging potatoes.Historic Royal Palaces
The display even includes a modern element: the royal family’s Instagram accounts. “A lot of them highlighted the proximity of the interaction and gives us a different window into those events,” the curator adds.
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mother, in Buckingham Palace.Historic Royal Palaces
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Acott Williams says, “Ever since Queen Victoria and Prince Albert first embraced the revolutionary new technology of photography, the medium has shaped how the world views the British monarchy.
Princess Anne.Historic Royal Palaces
“It has allowed the Royal Family to offer fascinating insights into their life and work, transforming the royal image and creating an unprecedented relationship between crown and subjects. Through our new exhibition at Kensington Palace,Life Through A Royal Lens,we look forward to welcoming our visitors into the world of royal photography, to explore the history behind the iconic image of modern monarchy we know today.”
source: people.com
