1913

Born April 21st Ronald William Parkinson Smith.

1927 - 31

Educated at Westminster School London.

1931 - 33

Apprenticed Speights & Son of Bond Street.

1934

Sets up the Norman Parkinson studio with Norman Kibblewhite at One Dover Street, specialising in portraiture.

1935

First one-man exhibition including portraits of Vivien Leigh and Noel Coward. Recruited by Harper's Bazaar to take editorial photographs.

1935 - 40

Monthly commissions for Harper's Bazaar as well as portraits and reportage work for The Bystander.

1937

Follows Edward Prince of Wales to depressed Welsh mining areas and takes a compassionate series of portraits of miners and their families.

1938

First colour photographs for Harper's Bazaar. Travels to New York to cover the World's Fair for The Bystander. Does covert work for the Air Ministry taking photographs for leaflets dropped over occupied Europe.

1942

Begins long association with British Vogue.

1947

Meets, photographs and marries Wenda Rogerson a promising young actress. Wenda goes on with Parkinson to produce his most famous images.

1949

Begins working for American Vogue. Photographs London Spring Collection on location near London Landmarks including the New Look at The National Gallery. Portrait series for British Vogue of artists, writers, intellectuals, theatre and musical personalities.

1950

Photographs Paris Collection for British and American Vogue. First visit to Jamaica.

1951

travels to South Africa for a special edition of Vogue and photographs Wenda posed high above Victoria Falls and riding on the back of an ostrich.

1953

March issue of Vogue features 12 page portfolio of all the leading British couturiers.

1956

Tours round India taking photographs of models Anne Gunning and Barbara Mullen.

1958

July Vogue features Italian trip with model Nena Von Schlebrugge, actress Uma Thurman's mother.

1960 - 64

Contract expires with Vogue and recruited as Associate Editor of Queen Magazine the most influential fashion and features magazine of the early 1960s.

1961 - 64

Continues work for queen with world - wide assignments featuring models Celia Hammond, Jean Shrimpton, Melaine Hampshire, Carmen, Pat Booth and Tania Mallett.

1963

Moves from Twickenham to Tobago to build a dream house high on the cliffs above the sea.

1964

Photographs the Beatles at a recording session at Abbey Road Studios. contract with Queen ends and returns to Conde Nast to work until the mid 70's on British and American Vogue as well as freelancing for life Magazine and others.

1966

Photographs Prince Philip on royal visit to Tobago.

1967

Location work in Rome including sessions with Twiggy, Racquel Welch, Celia Hammond and Wenda Parkinson.

1968

Elected Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.

1969

First official photographs of Prince Charles at his investiture as Prince of Wales. Also Princess Anne on her horse in Windsor Great Park, and official portraits for her 19th birthday.

1971

Photographs Apollonia Van Ravenstein on Bird Island in the Seychelles. Official portraits of Princess Anne for her 21st birthday.

1972

Elizabeth Taylor at 40 wearing a wig to match her shitsu dog.

1973

Trips to the Algarve and Barbados. Official engagement and wedding portraits of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips.

1975

Official photographs for Queen Mothers 75th birthday. 7000 mile journey across Soviet Union with Jerry Hall as model.

1978

Quartet publishes his first book Sisters Under the Skin. Begins regular assignments for Hearst magazine Town & Country. Exhibition at the Photographers' Gallery, London

1980

Official photographs fro Queen Mother's 80th Birthday including the 'Blue Trinity' portrait of the Queen, The Queen Mother & Princess Margaret.

1981

New Years honours list elevates Parks to Commander of the British Empire. Official photographs of Princess Margaret for her 50th Birthday. First major museum retrospective 50 Years of Fashion and Portraits held in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

1982

Lifetime achievement in photography award for contribution to American magazines by American Society of Magazine Photographers. Elizabeth Taylor at 50 for Life Magazine.

1983

First retrospective opens in New York at International Centre of Photography in New York.

1985

Notable Diamonds, Art Institute of Chicago (travelled to Atlanta, Palm Beach, Detroit, Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, New York, San Francisco and Houston, 1985-86.

1990

Norman Parkinson dies while on assignment in Singapore.

2004

National Portrait Gallery, London (touring the UK) Staley Wise, New York Hamiltons Gallery, London.

2006

Norman Parkinson- Scene and Unseen, Special Exhibition, ArtLondon October Sking - Group Exhibition organised by Birgit Filzmaier, Zurich, Switzerland Winter.

2007

Norman Parkinson - Retrospective, organised by the Moscow House of Photography, Moscow, March - April.

Norman Parkinson/Philip Treacy, Eleven Fine Arts, London July - September.

Muses, Mothers, Models - Group exhibition organised by Bernheimer Fine Old Masters, Munich, Germany June - August.

How We Are: Photographing Britain, Group Exhibition organised by Tate Britain, London 22 May - 2 September.

2008

Fashion - Group exhibition organised by CameraWork, Berlin, Germany September - November.

Norman Parkinson - Fashion Inside and Out, The Parking Lot, London, February - May.

Norman Parkinson, Contacts, Cigarettes, Colour, Paul Smith, Albemarle Street, London, 5 - 22 November.

2009

Norman Parkinson, British Fashion, 1950-1960, Birgit Filzmaier, Summer.

Norman Parkinson, A Very British Glamour, Somerset House, London, 8 October 2009 - 31 January.

Norman Parkinson, Galleria Carla Sozzani, 10 Corso Como, Milan, opening 28 November.