Welcome to the world of Philip Townsend Photography
Between 1960 and 1969 Philip Townsend was a well-known photographer working for many leading magazines and newspapers both in the UK and abroad.
He first had a studio in Beauchamp Place, in partnership with Lord Christopher Thynne, 2nd son of the last Marquis of Bath. They became successful society photographers. After a couple of years Philip decided it was time for a change and went to the south of France freelancing. While there he photographed most of the people who were regular visitors or residents of the area. They included, Princess Grace, her husband Prince Rainier. Their daughter Caroline and son Albert are pictured with children. Among other images are those of Sir Winston Churchill with Aristotle, Margot Fontayne with her husband Roberto Arias, Maria Callas, Marlon Brando and Joan Fontaine.
Returning to London he became friendly with Andrew Loog Oldham, legendary record producer and the first manager of The Rolling Stones. As a result of this connection collections of photographs of Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Gene Pitney, Martha and the Vandellas, Peter and Gordon, Jimmy Page with Carter Lewis, Marty Wilde and The Shadows were added to the Archive.
Among the actors in the archive excluding those above are Charlotte Rampling, Jacqueline Bissett, Edina Ronay, Dawn Adams, Glenn Ford, Dudley Moore and Frankie Howard. There is also an exclusive collection of over 50 images of Alex Guinness, Ralph Richardson, David Niven and Jack Hawkins with their wives and children on holiday at the same time in 1962. They were staying at La Voile DOr, a hotel at St Jean Cap Ferret, owned at that time by legendary British film director, Michael Powell.
Among the top 40 pictures in the collection, not listed above include, Rory Davis (model), Yuri Gagarin (first person in space), Richard Burton and Elisabeth Taylor, Mick Jagger and Keith Richard and Gene Pitney.
All of these pictures were extremely published during the 1960s. Philip worked for newspapers and magazines all over the world including Tatler, Honey, Harpers Bazaar, Der Stern, Neue Revue, Tempo, Paris Match, New York Times and Sydney Morning Herald.
Philip gave up photography in 1969 at the age of 29 and consigned his archive to a cupboard where it has remained for nearly thirty-five years. None of these images have been in picture libraries or published since. Philip has decided that now is the time to show the images to a new generation of collectors, curators and picture editors.
The BBC have used the famous fashion photographs from the collection as the set decoration on the last series of What Not to Wear with Trinny & Susannah.
Both the V&A Museum and The National Portrait Gallery have added a number of Philips vintage prints to their extensive collections.
As can be seen from the above, among the 25,000, mainly black and white photographs in the archive, are the usual 1960s icons, but as well there are over 300 notable people who where an important part of the decade but who are not so often shown in published or exhibited photographs.
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Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton
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