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*Birds of Britain*, a highly acclaimed book of photographs by John d'Green, was published nearly 50 years ago, in September 1967.
The book featured John D. Green’s striking, original, and witty portraits of 58 of the women who set London abuzz: actresses, models, aristocrats, fashion designers, boutique owners, and pop singers.
The cover featured a close-up color portrait of Pattie Boyd, wrinkling her nose as she tried to shoo away a beetle painted with a British flag, while inside, the spectacular portraits were all in black and white. A contemporary review called it “one of the most exciting photography books at a time when illustrated books were very popular.”
*Birds of Britain* was a massive hit with the general public, selling 60,000 copies (at a time when most coffee-table books had print runs of just 3,000), which led to newspaper headlines and serialized articles, television appearances, outrage from the parents of some of the girls featured in the book, a lavish launch party at Sibylla’s nightclub, a highly publicized promotional tour in the United States for John, his friend, art director David Tree, and some of the girls, as well as an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
It all began 18 months earlier, over a pint of beer at the Adam and Eve pub in Kensington with friends, in early 1966. John d’Green, then one of Britain’s top advertising photographers, had cut his teeth photographing every conceivable consumer product. He was at the peak of his career and highly regarded in the advertising industry, but little known outside of it. He felt it was time to turn his attention to the women who were making things happen in London.
The project, conceived that evening at the Adam and Eve by John and his friends and colleagues David Tree, Terry Howard, and Rowland Wells, was to create a beautiful illustrated book paying tribute to all the women who played a key role in the London scene. This project would allow John to make a name for himself outside the advertising industry—something he richly deserved.
The first photo shoot, featuring Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon, photographed covered in motor oil, took place on April 29, 1966. A little less than twelve months later, during his final shoot for the book, John photographed Cetra Hearne in a cloud of pipe smoke. Six months of work on the design and layout, followed by printing, ensued, in collaboration with his close associate and artistic director on the project, David Tree.
Published by The Bodley Head, 1967
144 pages
35.5 × 27.5 cm
*Birds of Britain*, a highly acclaimed book of photographs by John d'Green, was published nearly 50 years ago, in September 1967.
The book featured John D. Green’s striking, original, and witty portraits of 58 of the women who set London abuzz: actresses, models, aristocrats, fashion designers, boutique owners, and pop singers.
The cover featured a close-up color portrait of Pattie Boyd, wrinkling her nose as she tried to shoo away a beetle painted with a British flag, while inside, the spectacular portraits were all in black and white. A contemporary review called it “one of the most exciting photography books at a time when illustrated books were very popular.”
*Birds of Britain* was a massive hit with the general public, selling 60,000 copies (at a time when most coffee-table books had print runs of just 3,000), which led to newspaper headlines and serialized articles, television appearances, outrage from the parents of some of the girls featured in the book, a lavish launch party at Sibylla’s nightclub, a highly publicized promotional tour in the United States for John, his friend, art director David Tree, and some of the girls, as well as an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
It all began 18 months earlier, over a pint of beer at the Adam and Eve pub in Kensington with friends, in early 1966. John d’Green, then one of Britain’s top advertising photographers, had cut his teeth photographing every conceivable consumer product. He was at the peak of his career and highly regarded in the advertising industry, but little known outside of it. He felt it was time to turn his attention to the women who were making things happen in London.
The project, conceived that evening at the Adam and Eve by John and his friends and colleagues David Tree, Terry Howard, and Rowland Wells, was to create a beautiful illustrated book paying tribute to all the women who played a key role in the London scene. This project would allow John to make a name for himself outside the advertising industry—something he richly deserved.
The first photo shoot, featuring Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon, photographed covered in motor oil, took place on April 29, 1966. A little less than twelve months later, during his final shoot for the book, John photographed Cetra Hearne in a cloud of pipe smoke. Six months of work on the design and layout, followed by printing, ensued, in collaboration with his close associate and artistic director on the project, David Tree.
Published by The Bodley Head, 1967
144 pages
35.5 × 27.5 cm
