Newspaper photographer who snapped Beatles dies aged 89

www.bbc.com
Observer newspaper photographer Jane Bown dies aged 89
21 December 2014

Photographer Jane Bown, known for her portraits of famous people including the Queen, the Beatles and Samuel Beckett, has died aged 89.

Bown joined the Observer in 1949 and continued to appear in the office every week for more than half a century.

Her other subjects included ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev and artist Francis Bacon. Several of her pictures are in the National Portrait Gallery.

Observer editor John Mulholland called her "part of the Observer's DNA".

Bown last appeared in the Observer offices in August, although by then she was too frail to take photographs.


Jane Bown, far right, is shown taking pictures of Hollywood star Bette Davis in 1975

'Immense contribution'

Mr Mulholland said: "During more than 50 years working for the Observer, she produced some of the most memorable and insightful images of prominent cultural and political figures taken during the 20th Century.

"From the Queen to the Beatles, Samuel Beckett to Bjork, John Betjeman to Bob Hope, her beautifully observed pictures have become part of our cultural landscape.

"She is part of the Observer's DNA - her contribution to the paper's history, as well to Britain's artistic legacy, is immense, and will long survive her.

"She was loved by her colleagues and adored by our readers. We will miss her hugely."

The Observer's restaurant critic, Jay Rayner, wrote on Twitter: "It was a huge honour to work her on a few stories We shall not see the like."

'Entirely disarming'

He tweeted: "Jane Bown's method was entirely disarming: a camera pulled from a shopping bag, a gaze as if to check the subject was interesting enough.

"Then just a dozen or so shots and she was done. Somewhere in there would be an image that most everyone else would have taken 100 to get."



A profile for the Guardian earlier this year documented how Bown had been passed around maternal aunts as a child after being born to parents who were unmarried.

She later discovered one of her aunts, Daisy, was her mother.

Bown became a photographer in 1946 after applying on a whim to take a course at Guildford School of Art. She borrowed £50 from another aunt to buy her first camera.

She later said the Observer was the only newspaper she wanted to work for and that her ideal shoot was just ten minutes long.




theimageworks.com
The Photography of Jane Bown

Photojournalist and portrait photographer, Jane Bown (1925) is well known for her minimalist approach to photography. Her style is marked by utilizing natural light and captured moments. Regarded as a national treasure in Britain, it is her portraits of personalities that have earned her critical acclaim.
















www.theguardian.com
Jane Bown with the Beatles
Legendary Observer photographer Jane Bown took pictures of everyone in the 60s - not least the Beatles, as seen in this exclusive gallery
Jane Bown
Sunday 6 September 2009

John Lennon, backstage at East Ham 1963
Jane Bown


Paul McCartney, backstage at East Ham 1963
Jane Bown


Ringo Starr, backstage at East Ham 1963
Jane Bown


George Harrison, backstage at East Ham 1963
Jane Bown


Beatles fans in East Ham 1963
Jane Bown


John Lennon in Knole Park in Sevenoaks during the filming of the promo video for "Strawberry Fields Forever" January 1967
Jane Bown


John Lennon of The Beatles in Knole Park filming The Magical Mystery Tour 1967
Jane Bown


John Lennon and Paul McCartney with their limo and chauffeur in Knole Park in Sevenoaks during the filming of the promo video for "Strawberry Fields Forever" January 1967
Jane Bown


The Beatles. in Knole Park, Sevenoaks filming the Strawberry Fields promo, 1967
Jane Bown


In Knole Park, Sevenoaks filming the Strawberry Fields promo, 1967
Jane Bown


The Beatles. in Knole Park, Sevenoaks filming the Strawberry Fields promo, 1967
Jane Bown


John Lennon and Ringo Starr at an All You Need Is Love press conference before performing All You Need Is Love on world satellite link up from Abbey Road, June 1967
Jane Bown


Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison at an All You Need Is Love press conference before performing All You Need Is Love on world satellite link up from Abbey Road, June 1967
Jane Bown


George Harrison at an All You Need Is Love press conference before performing All You Need Is Love on world satellite link up from Abbey Road, June 1967
Jane Bown


Apple Corps Office, 1968 From left to right the back row includes Denis O'Dell, Paul McCartney, Alexis Mardes, Peter Brown, Brian Levis and Ron Kass; Neil Aspinal, John Lennon and Derek Taylor.
Jane Bown