The Art of the Scrapbook
by habituallychic
11 . 17 . 10
I could spend a week discussing Cecil Beaton. He was a photographer, set designer, costume designer, interior designer, diarist, style icon, and probably more. Among the highlights of his career were the sets and costumes he designed for Gigi and My Fair Lady as well as the wedding photos he took of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. If you really want to really learn about this intriguing man, then I suggest picking up Beaton: The Art of the Scrapbook from Assouline. I will warn you that the volume is a bit expensive and quite heavy. I could barely lift it off the shelf to leaf through it but it’s definitely worth it. Looking through the pages of images is like looking into Cecil Beaton’s mind and creative process. “Beaton’s scrapbooks allowed the artist to play with pictures he had taken (and perhaps those he wished he had) in the dreamspace of artifice that was always his favorite setting.” Definitely makes me want to start a scrapbook but then again, my blog is my modern version of a scrapbook.
“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” – Cecil Beaton
16 Comments
Kindred spirit, I’m reading his biography now. Yummy.
Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
oh, yes isn’t that true! our blogs are modern versions of a scrapbook … and so much less messy and easy to share
GREAT quote! I can’t believe I have never heard that one before! Very inspiring post I love it!
Heather thank you so much for sharing about a most fascinating man, I would love to peruse this book at leisure! From what I have seen it is magnificent!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Such a beautiful book. So much talent.
Have a nice day, Heather.
Teresa
I think my large cork/mood board at home is another version scrapbook. I love that quote!
Where is my magnifying glass? I want to study every image. Thank you for the intro — it will be a hit on the coffee table.
Great post – I have always been a pack rat with little bits of paper and receipts and magazine photos I like…I also keep any greeting card received if the sender has written something meaningful.
Heather,
This is soooo interesting!
Thanks again!
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
Am DYING for this book – I have an old book of his photographs of the royal family that we published at S&S years ago that I still love. The other album that was fabulous was Slim Keith’s. I art directed her book jacket and spent a day with her going through her incredible albums (the old fashioned kind with white corners on black paper) – the only bad thing was that her chain smoking almost killed me!
The book looks beautiful – and my kind of exercise lugging it home! Thank you for this post as I have a stack of old family photos that need to get into an album/ scrap book (that I’ve been avoiding like the plague). Now I’m feeling a little more motivated to tackle it & try something a little more interesting & creative – like Beaton… well, I can try!! Great quote too – Thanks again!
These are wonderful! I may just have to use them as inspiration as I begin to scrapbook my summer adventures through Florence, Italy and New York City! Hope you’re doing well!
Meredith
Oh my, I have to have this book now…amazing!!
oooh! how exciting! I have been a scrapbooker/collagist since I was 18 years old, so I am very excited to put this on my Christmas “Wish List”!
The book looks amazing and will be one for the Christmas wish list I think.
This post is very inspiring! thaks!