Photographer Ray Bellisario, best known as “London’s first paparazzo,” was absolutely loathed by the Royal Family for his tireless pursuit of their private moments—Prince Phillip got him blacklisted from most British newspapers and joked about sending him to London Tower, and Princess Margaret used to refer to him as “that bloody Bellisario.” Photos of Prince Charles waterskiing hardly qualify as “tawdry” to our modern eyes, but at the time Bellisario was considered the most vulgar of characters—he was not considered an “artist,” to say the least.

Two years ago, Bellisario began selling off his collection—much of it unpublished—for charity; his previously unseen photos of Brigitte Bardot are now being shown at Dadiani Fine Art gallery, a far cry from the Euro-tabloids that made him famous. 13 Unseen Photographs, London 1968 show Bardot as a much more willing subject than the Royals. At this point in her career, she was already a massive star, and likely used to the camera. The pictures are beautiful, and not just because of Bardot. Bellisario has instincts for light and composition, and the random collection candids actually look like a high-end photo editorial spread.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Via It’s Nice That