Fiona Rose Pattinson Adams, née Clarke (26 September 1935 – 26 June 2020)[1] was a British photographer. She is most well known for her photograph of the Beatles jumping in the air which featured on the Twist and Shout EP cover.[2] In the 1960s, she photographed musicians of the day including Jimi Hendrix, Billy Fury, Cilla Black, Adam Faith, Bob Dylan and Sandie Shaw.[2]
Fiona Adams | |
|---|---|
 Adams in 1967. | |
| Born | Fiona Clarke 26 September 1935 London |
| Died | 26 June 2020 (aged 84) Guernsey |
| Known for | Photographer of 1960s London |
Early life
editAdams was born on 26 September 1935 in London,[1] daughter of Freda (née Pattinson) and Philip Clarke, both professional musicians.[1]
The family ran a guest house in Vazon in the Channel Island of Guernsey.[3][4] Due to World War Two in 1941, the family left Guernsey and returned in 1946.[4] Adams attended The Ladies College in St Peter Port.[1] She studied photography at the Ealing School of Art, graduating in 1955.[4]
Career
editAdams worked for photographer Douglas Glass for 7 months after graduating.[4] This was followed by a role as photographer assistant in London County Council's architectural department for four years.[4] After working in Australia for two years, she returned to England in 1961.[4] Adams was briefly married in Australia.[1]
As a temp job she began photographing pop and cultural celebrities for Boyfriend magazine[4] and, a year later, worked at Fabulous magazine.[4] In 1967, she began photographing for American Express.[4]
Later life
editAdams married Owen Le Tissier in 1972.[1] They had two children.
She returned to Guernsey in the 1980s, and continued to work as a professional photographer.[4][1]
The 2009–2010 National Portrait Gallery exhibition Beatles to Bowie: the 60s Exposed included work by Adams.[5]
Owen died in 2011. She died in Guernsey in June 2020.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Fiona Adams obituary". the Guardian. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ a b c "Fiona Adams, photographer of The Beatles and other rock stars, dies at 84". BBC News. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ Pepper, Terence (11 April 2024), "Adams [née Clarke], Fiona Rose Pattinson (1935–2020), photographer", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.90000381734, ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8, retrieved 7 November 2024
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ackerman, Mark (10 July 2008). "FIONA ADAMS - THE WOMAN WHO MADE THE 60s SWING". culturevoyage.co.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ "National Portrait Gallery - Beatles to Bowie". www.npg.org.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2020.