Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon
Antony Armstrong - Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon ( known as Lord Snowdon, Artist name: Snowdon ), GCVO ( born March 7, 1930 in London ) is a British photographer and designer and was the husband of Princess Margaret of 6 May 1960 to May 24, 1978. considered one of the most prominent photographers of Britain and is a member of the House of Lords.
Life and work
Origin and professional career
His father was a lawyer and Attorney General Ronald OL Armstrong -Jones (1899-1966) from a Welsh non-aristocratic old-established gentry family. His mother Anne Messel (1902 - 1992) is derived from the German - Jewish banking family Messel: A branch of the family had emigrated to England and ascended into London society. His great-great uncle was the Berlin architect Alfred Messel, his mother, the London architect and stage designer Oliver Messel 's brother.
He went to Eton to school and then studied at Cambridge architecture. After he had twice fallen through the exam, he began training as a photographer, but he also did not finish. From 1951, he soon made a name with shots of social ostracism and photographed, among others, in psychiatric institutions and in poor neighborhoods. He made the first recordings with a Brownie box, and later worked with a Leica.
One of his best known works from this area of his work is a photo of two-year -neglected underclass child Peter Roche. The 1965 resulting in a campaign for the British child protection organization National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children ( NSPCC ) uptake was seen on the cover of the magazine in the Sunday Times, on billboards and on television and sparked nationwide discussions about the national child protection from; Decades later, the photographer and his model met again.
In parallel, he was court photographer of the royal family, accompanied Queen Elizabeth II at official travel and made numerous representational photographs of members of the royal family to. These tasks he takes up today and was, among other things 2007 Photographer of the official photographs to mark the diamond wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip husband. Later, the focus of his photographic work lay in the fields of fashion, design and theater as well as the portraits of famous personalities of the society, artists and movie stars, preferably in black and white. Among his most famous works of this kind include portraits of Princess Diana, Salvador Dalí and Marlene Dietrich, who were often seen in Germany in the star.
In 1981, he shot the cover image of Greatest Hits, the best-selling album by British rock band Queen. Numerous works Snowdon are in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. On the occasion of the 70th birthday of the photographer in 2000, the Museum under the title Photographs by Snowdon showed: A Retrospective, a retrospective of his work.
Occasionally Snowdon came as a designer in appearance and designed, among other things, furniture and dishes. His best known work in this field was the design of the 1960-1963 bird facility at London Zoo, a collaboration with Frank Newby and Cedric Price. The Snowdon Aviary was named after him, a futuristic design of nets and steel, today is a listed building.
He also writes essays on photography and photo published picture books. His works numerous books have been published.
Private life
In 1959, he received photograph on her 29th birthday the order, Princess Margaret. Here, the two met; they married already on 6 May 1960 in Westminster Abbey. On October 3, 1961 him the title Earl of Snowdon and Viscount Linley was presented by his sister Elizabeth II.
The marriage produced two children:
- David Armstrong -Jones, Viscount Linley ( born November 3, 1961) ( furniture designer )
- Lady Sarah Armstrong -Jones ( born May 1, 1964) ( painter, married to the painter and actor Daniel Chatto )
The marriage was exposed from the outset by the very different personalities and little willingness to compromise both partners large loads. The high professional use of Snowdon and the extravagant lifestyle of his wife contributed its own difficulties. In later years, then were added extramarital affairs both.
The separation in 1976 became apparent some time in 1978 held a divorce. This was Armstrong -Jones no longer a member of the royal family, but remained the photographer of the royal family, despite the divorce. Privately persisted contact.
From 1979, he was married to his assistant Lucy Lindsay - Hogg; marriage had a daughter, Lady Frances Armstrong -Jones ( born July 17, 1979), married to the gallery Rodolphe von Hofmannsthal, a great-grandson of Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Snowdon and Lindsay - Hogg broke up in 2000 and are now divorced. He also has two illegitimate children and lives alone in Kensington. After the consequences of a past age 16 polio disease returned in old age, he is now confined to a wheelchair, but still professionally active. In 2008, the journalist and author Anne de Courcy published a - partially - authorized biography of the Snowdon: The Biography with glimpses of private details, which met in the UK with significant media interest
Charity
From the experience with their own polio disease in school-aged out, which earned him a six-month hospital stay and a shortened leg, Snowdon has been dedicated for many decades the support of disabled students. In 1981 he founded the charitable foundation The Snowdon Award Scheme, which takes care of the promotion and financial support for disabled students and which he is president.
Policy
For criticism, especially in parliamentary members of the Labour Party made in 1999, the fact that the Earl of Snowdon took the rank offered him a life peer as Baron Armstrong -Jones of Nyman's in the County of West Sussex as one of ten eligible Lords and thus in the long term member of the reformed House of Lords was, to which he belongs since 1961 ( following the reorganization of the composition in 1999 was the first carriers of a hereditary title, a lifetime membership in the House of Lords offered ). Was particularly critical of the fact that he rarely attended meetings and also acquired the lordship only by marriage. He sits as a cross since then Bencher in the House of Lords. The meetings, which he regularly participates as chairman of a working group for the integration of people with disabilities since he uses to represent his main political concerns, anti- discrimination of people with disabilities in everyday life and in society, such as accessibility in public space.