24
The man
B
ailey, Donovan, Duff y.
No fi rst names needed.
This trailblazing
photographic
triumvirate lit up the 1960s and
beyond, arguably becoming more
famous than most of its subjects.
Dubbed ‘The Black Trinity’ by
legendary fashion photographer
Norman Parkinson, the three young
Londoners pushed the boundaries of
photographic style and innovation
like nobody who had come before.
Unlike the more avuncular Bailey
and Donovan, Duff y was a more
truculent character, of whom Bailey
said, ‘Aggravation and Duff y go
together like gin and tonic.’
Never one to suff er fools gladly,
Duff y began taking pictures for
Vogue in 1957 and for more than
20 years he shot groundbreaking
fashion for the likes of Vogue and
Elle magazines, iconic portraits
such as Bowie’s Aladdin Sane
and highly inventive advertising
campaigns for Smirnoff and Benson
& Hedges. This was all done with
adroitness, visual ingenuity and
technical excellence, which have
never been matched since.
Duff y was one of Britain’s
most inventive and infl uential
photographers. Steve Fairclough
spoke to his eldest son, Chris
Duff y, about his father’s huge
talent and enduring legacy
ALL IMAGES: COURTESY THE DUFFY ARCHIVE
BRIAN DUFFY
Right: Jean
Shrimpton for
Vogue, 1964Left: Self portrait,
197 0 s