FAMAG 2010.19


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Bown, Jane (1925-2014): The Torrey Canyon disaster, March 1967, photograph, 61 x 51 cms. © Jane Bown/Observer. All rights reserved.


About the Artist

Initially working as a chart corrector in the Wrens 1944-46, she went on to study photography at Guildford School of Art 1946-50. Bown started her career as a photographer when her portrait of Bertrand Russel appeared in ?The Observer?. She is known for her straight-forward, naturally posed, black and white portraits usually taken with the available light. Her published books include ?The Gentle Eye? 1980, accompanied by a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. In 1995 she was awarded a CBE for her outstanding contribution to photography.