Born in 1943, English former model and animal welfare activist Celia Hammond began her modeling career at the Lucie Clayton Charm Academy in 1960 and was a graduating classmate of Jean Shrimpton. She was also the favorite model of photographer Norman Parkinson and credited the rise of her career to him.
Celia Hammond in the 1960s
Hammond was first under contract with Queen magazine and then transitioned to modeling Paris collections exclusively with Norman Parkinson for a year. Later she began working for Vogue, forming a close working relationship with photographer Terence Donovan. At first happy to model fur, she later became concerned about the cruelty of the fur trade and took a stand against fur. Singer/songwriter Donovan wrote “Celia Of The Seals” as a tribute to her attitude.
In 1986, Hammond founded the Celia Hammond Animal Trust with the aim of opening a low-cost neutering clinic to control the feral animal population. In 1995, the trust opened London’s first low-cost neuter clinic in Lewisham. A second clinic opened in Canning Town in 1999. The Celia Hammond Animal Trust also runs a sanctuary in Brede, East Sussex, for animals which need new homes. In addition to neutering animals, the clinics (and sanctuary) also help to rescue and rehome animals, and now find homes for thousands of cats each year.
Take a look at these glamorous photos to see portraits of young Celia Hammond as a model in the 1960s.
Celia Hammond for a Wetherall advertisement, photo by Norman Parkinson, Paris, 1962
Celia Hammond in Canada Majestic pearl mink coat to be worn with the hood up or down from Witte of London, photo by Michael Williams, Harper’s Bazaar UK, November 1962
Celia Hammond in summer smock by Gottex, hat by Christian Dior Chapeaux, photo by Eugene Vernier in the picturesque town of Safed, Israel, Vogue UK, July 1962
Celia Hammond, cover photo by Lidbrooke, Tatler, August 1962
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