About
Every Royal appears on a tea towel. They get made for Birthdays, jubilees and any or all milestones in a Royal's life as official memorabilia. Rankin photographed HRH Queen Elizabeth II for her Golden Jubilee in 2002, creating a picture which everyone knows but wasn't used by the Palace at the time. It might not appear on any official memorabilia, but this portrait has graced the cover of many magazines and been shown in contemporary photography exhibitions worldwide. So we've decided to make our own official Rankin tea towel that celebrates that milestone.
"Being Scottish I wasn't an obvious first choice to photograph The Queen. I didn't grow up with any reverence for the Royals. But I photographed HRH Queen Elizabeth II for her Golden Jubilee in 2002. I had just five minutes total to take the image in her throne room.
I watched her walk down this long corridor at Buckingham Palace with a footman who must have been at least 6ft. She's tiny, and she was looking up at him, smiling and chatting, and I thought, "She's got a sense of humour - I've got to capture that side of her".
I'm taking her photo and suddenly a cord fell out of my camera and that simple moment helped us connect. I saw her smile and I knew I could make her laugh and I went with it. I started saying 'Ma'am', like 'jam': "Ma'am, you have to smile, please" - over and over again. Eventually she cracked and laughed. I got three frames, a half smile, full smile and half smile again. The iconic image everyone knows though - with the flag backdrop - that wasn't selected for use at the time. I did hear from The Queen though as she wrote me a letter having seen the shot, saying, 'I love the stitching on the flag'. "
- RANKIN
Details
100% Premium Cotton Printed Tea Towel - 169gsm
78 x 48 cm
Comes with limited edition Rankin postcard
Rankin
As a photographer Rankin's portfolio ranges from portraiture to documentary. He has shot The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Kate Moss, Kendall Jenner and The Queen to name only a few.
He is best known for work that is on the cultural cusp and leading future trends: producing rule-breaking campaigns for brands such as Rolls Royce, Unilever, L’Oreal and Samsonite; creating wide reaching projects for charities including Women’s Aid and Macmillan; and shooting music videos for the likes of Miley Cyrus, Rita Ora and Kelis.
As a publisher, Rankin co-founded the seminal magazine Dazed & Confused with Jefferson Hack in 1991, and has since published the likes of AnOther and AnOther Man, alongside over 40 books and the biannual fashion and culture print and digital platform, Hunger.
His photography has been published everywhere from his own publications to Elle, Vogue, Esquire, GQ, Rolling Stone, and Wonderland, and exhibited in galleries globally, including MoMA, New York, and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
Rankin lives in London with his wife Tuuli and their dogs.
Printed by Stuart Morris Textile
They have earned the reputation of being one of the UK’s leading craft textile printers and suppliers.
Stuart studied Art and Design at Leeds and Leicester and having gained his master’s degree in Printed Textile Design, he took a position as lecturer in Design and Screen Print. As well as pursuing his passion for creating his own contemporary artwork which he exhibits internationally, Stuart followed in the footsteps of his father (who originated and directed the renowned Blendworth Collection) and set up his own textile, design and print company.
Operating from high tech print studios in Suffolk, they are renowned for innovative design and quality of product. And, as such, each order is handled with the utmost care and attention.