Born into Welsh gentry in 1930, Snowdon began his career in 1952 as a society photographer for Tatler. Working from his Pimlico studio, he cultivated a reputation for images that were both composed and subtly revealing. Reflecting on the atmosphere of his studio, Snowdon once said, ‘I don’t want people to feel at ease.’ His photographs of art, theatre and society figures peeled back any sense of performance or mask through stark, powerful compositions.
The artist gained global attention following his marriage to Princess Margaret in 1960. His subsequent photographs of the Royal Family remain particularly celebrated, with Snowdon having brought a more informal style to royal portraiture. He captured various sittings of Queen Elizabeth II during her reign and took the first official photographs of the engagement announcement of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Alongside his work as a photographer, Snowdon campaigned for disability rights, shaped by his experience of having polio as a child. He led a successful campaign against British Rail to improve access for wheelchair users and, in 1981, he launched the Snowdon Award Scheme — now the Snowdon Trust — to help disabled students access further education.
Snowdon continued to produce work throughout his life, with a retrospective held in 2000 at the National Portrait Gallery in London. He died in 2017, aged 86. The artist’s legacy was celebrated in Snowdon: A Life in Art and Objects, a collection offered by Christie’s in 2020, which featured images taken by Snowdon of David Hockney, Lucian Freud and Yves Saint Laurent.
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
David Hockney, 1963
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Lucian Freud, Paddington, London, 1963
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Yves Saint Laurent, 1987
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Michael Clark, 1987
Antony Armstrong-Jones (1930-2017)
Acrilan Advert, 1957
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Ian McKellen, 1984
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Invesiture Chair (i); Kitchen Chair (ii); Stationmaster Chair (iii); Wicker Chair (iv), 2013
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Isabella Rossellini and Mikhail Baryshnikov, 1984
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Joseph Beuys, British Vogue , February 1986
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
San Giorgio, Venice, 1995
LORD SNOWDON (1930–2017)
Marlene Dietrich, Café de Paris, London, 1955
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Dame Agatha Christie and Sir Max Mallowan, 1974
LORD SNOWDON (b. 1930)
Helen Lessore in the Beaux Arts Gallery, early 1960s
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Investiture Chair, 2013
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Gilbert and George, 1981
LORD SNOWDON (b.1930)
John Piper in the churchyard of St Anne's, Limehouse, early 1960s
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Beluga Whales, 1968 (i); Arab Stallion, 1966 (ii); River Bird, Uganda, 1967 (iii); Naterjack Toad, 1985 (iv)
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Naterjack toad, 1985
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Ravenna Tucker, 1980
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Iman and Karel Shook in Arthur Mitchell ’ s dance studio in Harlem, 1984
LORD SNOWDON (B. 1930)
Portrait of Maurice Sendak, 1983
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Beluga Whales, 1968
LORD SNOWDON (1930-2017)
Dominick Dunne, 2003