There is an interesting exhibition of this photographers' work at the National Portrait Gallery in London just now. McBean had a long career, statrting with portraits of stage actors in the 1930s including Flora Robson before seguiing into pure Hollywood glamour shots of Lupe Velez and Vivien Leigh. After a long hiatus he switched to camp icons such as the Beverley Sisters and he also photographed the Beatles for album covers. Very surrealistic and highly-stylised, McBean's work shows a touch of pure theatre (he had been a set designer) with stone wigs and cement corsets used as props. Angus McBean was jailed for "homosexuality" in the 1940s but rebuilt his career !
