In 1960, a charismatic, high profile journalist, photographer, and nightclub pianist, Cecil Robin Douglas-Home, met Frank Sinatra at a society dinner in London.
Robin’s media reputation stemmed as much from his well-reported romantic liaisons with Swedish and British princesses and famous actresses, as his close family relations, which included the senior politician (and subsequent Prime Minister) Sir Alec Douglas-Home, and the top West End playwright, William Douglas-Home.
Over dinner, Sinatra and Douglas-Home really hit it off, which led to Robin being invited by Frank to write the first authorised biography of the legendary singer. Frank was adamant that the book should concentrate on the singer’s musical and professional qualities, rather than his well-chronicled personal life. Sinatra was first published in 1962, and has recently been re-released on Amazon Kindle.
To make sure the biography unerringly captured the true spirit of Sinatra, the writer-cum-photographer and his famous model wife, Sandra Paul, were invited to spend six months living with Sinatra at his stunning Palm Springs mansion. This is where many of Robin’s photographs presented in this exhibition originated.
It was during this time researching what made Sinatra tick that Douglas-Home also met and photographed many of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty, Rex Harrison, and Sinatra’s composer-arranger, Nelson Riddle.
From Palm Springs, Robin visited Washington, staying with the British Ambassador where he met and befriended President Kennedy and his wife, Jackie. JFK was happy to be photographed in the White House, and Robin also spent time with Jackie, when she went to stay with her sister, Lee Radziwell, in the summer of 1962. Such was the strength of Robin’s relationship with the Kennedy’s, he was able to photograph some extraordinary images of the family with their ‘guard’ down.
Sadly in 1968 Robin, after suffering for years from clinical depression, committed suicide. He was just 36 years of age.
