Patricia Anne Boyd born 17 March is an English model and photographer. She was one of the leading international models during the s and, with Jean Shrimpton , epitomised the British female look of the era. Boyd married George Harrison in , experiencing the height of the Beatles ' popularity and sharing in their embrace of Indian spirituality.
She divorced Harrison in and married mutual friend Eric Clapton in ; they divorced in Her photographs of Harrison and Clapton, titled Through the Eye of a Muse , have been widely exhibited. From the age of eight, Boyd boarded at Nakuru School near Nairobi. During a half-term break, she returned home and was shocked to learn that her parents had divorced. Boyd began her fashion career in , [ 16 ] modeling at first in London and Paris. This look defined Western fashion for women as a result of the international popularity of the Beatles and other British Invasion musical acts from onwards.
In early , Boyd appeared in a television advertising campaign for Smith's crisps , directed by Richard Lester. Boyd and Harrison were among the leading couples in the Swinging London era, when, according to a article in the Daily Express , "actors, pop singers, hairdressers, and models" were London's new "privileged class".
At the request of Gloria Stavers , [ 25 ] Boyd began writing a column, titled "Patti's Letter from London", for the American teen magazine They named it "Jennifer Juniper" after Donovan's song of the same name. Boyd says she had "virtually given up" modelling by the early s. In another shoot for the latter magazine, Boyd and her sisters were photographed by Patrick Lichfield.
Boyd began taking photographs of musicians and other friends during the s and was a member [ when? She also said that her lack of professional status probably made for a more intimate and authentic mood in her work, since her subjects were relaxed in her company. Boyd became involved in charity work following her separation from Clapton in the late s.
