Marlene Dietrich,

1930s

With an incredible amount of creativity and ingenuity, Cecil Beaton photographed fashions, celebrities, and World War II; he also worked as a designer for interiors, costumes, and stage sets. At the beginning of his career he was employed by <em>British Vogue</em>; he would later work for <em>Vogue and Vanity Fair</em> in the United States before returning to his native England, where he photographed the royal family and political luminaries such as Winston Churchill. Beaton brought his sense of theater, lighting, and clothing to every portrait session. This portrait of actor Marlene Dietrich, made at an early point in both his career and hers, demonstrates such careful attention to detail.