Framed black-and-white photograph of Queen Elizabeth II in a half length portrait. The Queen faces the viewer and wears a pearl necklace with earrings and a brooch. The photograph, taken at Buckingham Palace.

David Bailey’s opportunity to photograph Queen Elizabeth II came as a government commission on behalf of the ‘GREAT’ Britain Campaign, to promote trade, tourism and investment in the UK. Bailey produced four portraits of the queen both in colour and black and white. The stark contrast with the plain backgrounds and the inclusion of the film edges in the final prints – indicating the absence of cropping – are characteristic of Bailey’s approach. While two colour portraits were published worldwide by Harper’s Bazaar at the time, this photograph was later released to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 88th birthday, and produced on a Canadian stamp marking the event.