In the 1960s, Jean Shrimpton was a supermodel long before they coined the term “supermodel.” She was English, part of the Swinging London scene. Shrimpton appeared in Vogue countless times and was paid the then-extravagant sum of $67 per hour. She was the muse of legendary London photog and John French protégé David Bailey, to whom she was engaged (they never married).
Shrimpton rose to prominence through her work with photographer David Bailey. Her first photo session with Bailey was in 1960 (either for Condé Nast’s Brides on December 7, 1960 or for British Vogue). She started to become known in the modeling world around the time she was working with Bailey. Shrimpton has stated she owed Bailey her career, and he is often credited for discovering her and being influential in her career. In turn, she was Bailey’s muse, and his photographs of her helped him rise to prominence in his early career.
She contrasted with the aristocratic-looking models of the 1950s by representing the coltish, gamine look of the youthquake movement in 1960s Swinging London, and she was reported as “the symbol of Swinging London.” Breaking the popular mould of voluptuous figures with her long legs and slim figure, she was nicknamed “The Shrimp.” Shrimpton was also known for her long hair with a fringe, wide doe-eyes, long wispy eyelashes, arched brows, and pouty lips.
During her career, Shrimpton was widely reported to be the “world’s highest paid model,” the “most famous model” and the “most photographed in the world.” She was also described as having the “world’s most beautiful face” and as “the most beautiful girl in the world.”
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