About the artist
Dorothy Wilding, apprenticed to Marian Neilson, started her photography career. As the Official Royal Photographer for the 1937 Coronation, she became the first woman appointed to the role. In that year, she opened a second studio in New York. Notably, Wilding captured the new Queen in striking simplicity, employing plain black or white backdrops to direct focus onto the subject. She photographed The Queen in fifty-nine shots, showcasing various gowns by Norman Hartnell and jewelry such as the Diamond Diadem and the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. In 1958, she published her autobiography, "In Pursuit of Perfection." Her sister, Mrs. Susan Morton, presented her archives to the National Portrait Gallery in 1976, forming the foundation for a significant retrospective exhibition and catalog titled "The Pursuit of Perfection" in 1991.
