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1 of 253523 objects
Cecil Beaton (1904-80)
Coronation Portrait of Her Majesty The Queen, 1953 2 - 2 Jun 1953
Gelatin silver print | 73.0 x 51.0 cm (image) | RCIN 2999885
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A black and white photograph showing three-quarters length formal portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, seated in left side profile and wearing the Coronation Dress, Coronation Robe and Imperial State Crown. The Queen holds the Sceptre in her right hand and the Orb in her left. Framed.
Princess Elizabeth succeeded as Sovereign on the death of her father King George VI on 6 February 1952 and planning for the coronation began soon after. The date of Tuesday 2 June 1953 was selected, and the subsequent decision to televise the ceremony allowed unprecedented numbers of people to see the new Sovereign being crowned. Beaton’s portrait shows The Queen wearing the Imperial State Crown and holding the sceptre and orb, against the backdrop of Westminster Abbey.
Beaton made meticulous preparations before the actual shoot, sketching throughout the Coronation ceremony. The photographer sought to capture the symbolism and theatricality of the historic event. Queen Elizabeth II is in full regalia against a painted backdrop of the Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey, fixed on a window recess of the Green Drawing Room and the existing fixtures of armchair, curtain and carpet pull foreground and backdrop together in this sumptuous tableau. The combination of the studio lighting with natural light filtering from above and through the backdrop provided what historian Peter Quennell described as ‘a strangely transfiguring radiance that encircles those who occupy a throne’.Provenance
Acquired by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
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Creator(s)
(photographer)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Gelatin silver print
Measurements
73.0 x 51.0 cm (image)
96.5 x 73.0 cm (frame, external)
Alternative title(s)
Coronation Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), 1953
