User:Basilbrush boomboom

Philip Townsend (photographer)

Philip Townsend (born 1940), the 60's Photographer, has some of the most iconic photography the world has ever seen, capturing the Rolling Stones in their first ever shoot, the Beatles when they met the maharishi and that famous image of Elizabeth Taylor with an estranged Richard Burton. Not only was he an iconic music and film photographer, he also photographed political icons such as Harold Wilson, Winston Churchill and Sir Alec Douglas-Home. Some of the most beautiful women of the time are included in his portfolio, such as Twiggy, Charlotte Rampling, Edina Ronay and Jacqueline Bisset. His limited edition prints are exhibited worldwide, and in recent months philip has been rumoured to be making a much anticipated return to photography in the near future. Aside from numerous private collectors, museums that hold his works include the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Library of Wales.

His early photographs of Twiggy have been used in publications around the world. Aside from being a portrait photographer his work spans the genres of reportage, classic vehicles and 60s London both culturally and architecturally. Among business people included are John Paul Getty, Aristotle Onassis, Arpad Plesch and Nubar Gulbenkian. His archive includes actors such as Marlon Brando, Dudley Moore and Frankie Howerd, while his repertoir of royalty includes King Hussein of Jordan, Princess Alexandra and Grace Kelly.

• • • • • last updated 19/8/08 references to follow*****

External Links

[1] The Philip Townsend Archive [2] Video interview discussing photographing The Beatles