Painted and Photographic Diana Portraits


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Hi all, I got a reply from Clive Friend about that blue ruffled Diana picture and here's what he said in his reply~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Lisa

Thanks for your comments. It is surprising how little this picture has been seen. All originals seem to have been lost by the commissioning agents although I fortunately have a scan of a sole surviving dupe. You are dead right about the date of course, I shall have to put that right.

Clive Friend
 
Well done Canadiana. I'm amazed that you received a reply and so quickly. I'm glad you let him know the error of his ways.:D I'm always amazed that there are so many errors in books, magazines, newspapers. You would think with the convenience the internet offers, people would take a few minutes to check their facts before writing a book, etc., but no ...

But what is really shocking is that Mr. Friend says the original copies of the portrait have been lost!!! Unbelievable! I guess as a photographer who was commissioned to take the pictures, he was obliged to hand over all negatives. Too bad, because I suspect he would have taken better care of them than the people who commissioned the portraits. You have to wonder where these portraits disappear to. Remember that portrait that they found that Snowdon had taken in 1991 for the Canada trip? I think it was "discovered" in 1998 by a researcher who just accidently came across it.

Lady Jean, as for the "rust coloured suit" portraits, I did find a little blurb on them in an old issue of the French mag Point de Vue. It didn't say much except that the portraits were taken a few months after William's birth. Like I mentioned before, the portrait was on the cover of the November 19th 1982 Paris Match. So it's probably safe to guess that it was taken in Sept or Oct.
 
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Just realized it hasn't been posted yet. Here's the "rediscovered" Snowdon photograph of Diana taken in 1991.


 
Squidgy, Lady Jean, and Canadiana, you three are ama-a-a-a-a-zing! I too am obsessed with dating all of the Diana photos, and I thought I'm making pretty good progress, but you all have got me beat!
 
umbrellagirl said:
Squidgy, Lady Jean, and Canadiana, you three are ama-a-a-a-a-zing! I too am obsessed with dating all of the Diana photos, and I thought I'm making pretty good progress, but you all have got me beat!
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Thanx umbrellagirl. But actually squidgy and I are even more obsessed:rolleyes: cause we do diana's fashion diaries in that we list her official engagements, polo matches, christenings, photocalls, airport arrivals & departures, funerals, weddings, etc then what she wore. Yes we are crazy:eek: but we LOVE doing this.:D
 
Ouch my heart. And just when I wanted to enjoy a rare compliment.

Ok, back to the topic of the thread:


When were the Snowdon engagement photos taken?
 
umbrellagirl said:
Squidgy, Lady Jean, and Canadiana, you three are ama-a-a-a-a-zing! I too am obsessed with dating all of the Diana photos, and I thought I'm making pretty good progress, but you all have got me beat!
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be sure that we "have you beat". You just saw us struggling to date those last batch of portraits!! It took several of us, all providing different bits of info, to settle on a general date. I'm sure you know lots that we don't. The more, the merrier!:)
 
Lady Jean said:
When were the Snowdon engagement photos taken?
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I've always wondered that too. I've read in a few books that they were taken in April. However Charles was out of the country (in Australia, NZ, Venezuela & the US) for all of April, so unless Diana & Snowdon packed their bags & met up with him in one of these countries, we would have to rule out that month. Maybe March??
 
I contacted the web site as well about the incorrect date and received the same reply. I hope he fixes it.
 
Lady Jean said:
Ouch my heart. And just when I wanted to enjoy a rare compliment.

Ok, back to the topic of the thread:


When were the Snowdon engagement photos taken?
Click to expand...

Sorry:confused: Lady Jean you are very knowledgeable too :eek: I can't recall if you do the fashion diaries or not. I think you said you have tried??????? It's alot of fun very investigative in a way trying to figure out stuff esp. if you've only a bit of info.
 
I don't know whose office I would like to "raid" more: Tim Graham or J.Fincher's...a dream come true. And I'm sure all of their pictures are dated.
 
Sigh ... that would be a dream to have access to their archives! On a day to day basis, they photographed Diana the best (although I also liked A. Hussein & L. Cherruault).

T Graham seems to have sold many of his pics to Getty, but I haven't seen a lot of J. Fincher's in any database.
 
Squidgy said:
Sigh ... that would be a dream to have access to their archives! On a day to day basis, they photographed Diana the best (although I also liked A. Hussein & L. Cherruault).

T Graham seems to have sold many of his pics to Getty, but I haven't seen a lot of J. Fincher's in any database.
Click to expand...

Camera Press has hers.
 
Sammy said:
Camera Press has hers.
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Oh thanks Sammy, I didn't realize that! Too bad their pictures weren't more accessible.
 
it's just incredible to see the young diana that didn't know much about fashion, to the princess that had access to anything and tried (and occasionally failed) lots of things and then the older, polished and sophisticated look she had at the end. the transformations are so interesting. i love the testino pics...they show a much more relaxed woman than the snowdon pics, which i find showed her being tense and unsure of herself. at the end of her life she was really finding herself and showed how self assured she was becoming.
 
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Squidgy said:
That's one of my favourite early pictures! Diana looks so fresh & young. Was this picture taken on the same day as the one of her in the Emanuel pink blouse??
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34440&d=1073505145

I always thought that one (or both?) these pictures were taken in late 1980 by Snowdon for the Feb. 1981 issue of Vogue. But I'm not sure.
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I think it was taken the same time as you know the white blouse with overlaying collar and large bow by snowdon where she's slightly turned (used on alot of souvenirs for the RW) which I think was taken before the engagement and that appeared in vogue magazine before the engagement?? I'm not positive but thought I read it somewhere anyway the hair rather looks the same so maybe she just changed blouses for the same photo shoot.:confused:
 
Canadiana said:
I think it was taken the same time as you know the white blouse with overlaying collar and large bow by snowdon where she's slightly turned (used on alot of souvenirs for the RW) which I think was taken before the engagement and that appeared in vogue magazine before the engagement?? I'm not positive but thought I read it somewhere anyway the hair rather looks the same so maybe she just changed blouses for the same photo shoot.:confused:
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Do you think this picture was taken on the same day as the purple blouse & pink Emanuel blouse one?

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=34405&d=1073493769
 
Jo of Palatine said:
I'd say no. Different eye makeup... :)
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Yes, that's true. In the picture I linked to her eye makeup does look quite different. In fact it looks like she got into a brawl the night before & has two blackened eyes.:) However, in other pics I've seen of this portrait, her makeup looks more subtle. So I'm still not convinced they all weren't taken at the same sitting.:confused:
 
In the Spring of 1990, Diana sat for the artist Israel Zohar. The first image is the resulting portrait he painted of her. The second image is a picture taken of her during their first sitting on May 1st 1990. The third photo is of Diana and Israel at the unveiling of the painting in July 1990.

Photos: www.izohar.co.uk


 
Beautiful! I've always liked that portrait, and had seen the unveiling photo before, but not that one of her sitting with the artist sketching. That is a lovely photograph. Thank you.

Does anybody know what is that item of jewelry she is wearing on the Travolta gown? Is it perhaps a brooch connected with the Royal Hussars, for whose headquarters the painting was commissioned?
 
can't say that this is one of my favorites but it's not my least favorite either. i like the soft, muted colours. he's made her look very tense in the portrait...probably because all that was happening at the time??? anyway, i love seeing all the different images, thanks squidgy.
 
umbrellagirl said:
Does anybody know what is that item of jewelry she is wearing on the Travolta gown? Is it perhaps a brooch connected with the Royal Hussars, for whose headquarters the painting was commissioned?
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That's right. Her broach is the crest & tie of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars. Diana became their Colonel-in-Chief in April 1989.

There's a bit about them at this site: http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/cav/D13-18h.htm
 
Hello magazine also had a few pictures from the May 1st 1990 sitting. They appear to be taken in natural light so they are unfortunately a bit dark. (That is Anne Beckwith-Smith, Diana's loyal Lady-in-waiting in the background.)

 
Ooh, ooh, more photos from that sitting! I love the second one, where she's laughing. And in that one the "crest and tie" brooch is visible in detail.
Thank you, Squidgy. And thanks for the links to the websites for the artist and the Hussars.
 
wow! great photos! I never see it before, thanks for posted!
 
Squidgy, I forgot to say "thank you" for answering my question about the brooch. You are always so willing to help everyone and to share your rare photos. And the extent of your knowledge is truly awesome.

You are my mentor in matters Diana.:)
 
Umbrellagirl, I'm speechless! That is very sweet of you!:) But as I've said before, there's lots of others who know much, much more about Diana. Thankfully, many of them participate in this Forum.

Are you just trying to flatter me, in order to get me to post more pictures?? ... OK, it's working!:D:D
 
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