Masterpiece Spotlight: Tim Walker’s Harry Keita as Delphinium Fairy

A pair of patterned wings, delicate antennae and a skirt of foliage: Harry Keita is not quite the fairy we might expect to encounter in a storybook. Standing barefoot against a white backdrop, he reaches for an enormous stem of blue delphiniums, while a bumblebee hovers nearby. The flowers dwarf their surroundings, lending the scene a curious sense of scale, as though Keita has stepped into a garden where the ordinary rules no longer apply.

Photographed by Tim Walker in 2022, Harry Keita as Delphinium Fairy is a wonderful example of the British photographer's eccentric imagination. Yet there is more to the portrait than its whimsical appearance. Behind the elaborate costume and oversized flowers is an interest in how we present ourselves, and the possibilities that emerge when familiar conventions are set aside.

Walker has spent much of his career creating elaborate photographic worlds, drawing on literature, folklore and the surreal. His work for Vogue and other leading fashion publications is known for its extravagant sets, unexpected proportions and meticulous attention to detail. Often favouring physical props and carefully constructed environments, he gives even his most fantastical images a sense of tangible reality.

In Keita's portrait, the illusion is deliberately imperfect. Exposed roots trail across the floor, loose petals lie scattered beneath the flowers, and the white walls of the studio remain visible. Rather than concealing the work behind the spectacle, Walker lets us appreciate the ingenuity of its construction.

Tim Walker, Harry Keita as Delphinium Fairy, London, 2022. © Tim Walker.

The photograph belongs to Fairyland, a five-year project in which Walker photographed queer artists, performers, activists and cultural figures, bringing their stories together through his distinctive approach to portraiture.

The title makes a deliberate play on the word 'fairy', once commonly used as a derogatory term for gay men. Throughout the series, Walker reclaims it through the language of folklore and fantasy, inviting his subjects to inhabit characters and settings that might otherwise belong to a children's storybook.

In Keita's portrait, this idea takes an especially charming form. His patterned wings, delicate antennae and botanical costume recall the fairies of Victorian illustrations, but his assured stance and direct gaze give the character a presence quite unlike those delicate, miniature creatures. Walker borrows the familiar elements of a fairy tale without being confined by its conventions.

There is a certain humour in the contrast. Keita stands almost matter-of-factly among the towering flowers, gripping the stem with both hands as though tending to an unruly garden. The elaborate setting never feels entirely removed from reality, and this is part of what makes the photograph so engaging.

Tim Walker, photographed by James Stopforth. © James Stopforth / Tim Walker Studio.

Walker's fascination with make-believe has long informed his photography. His images borrow from theatre, costume design, painting and illustration, often recalling the theatrical portraits and fantastical imagery of earlier centuries.

In Harry Keita as Delphinium Fairy, the contrast between the theatrical costume and the plain studio is particularly striking. The translucent wings and oversized blooms suggest an imaginary world, while the exposed roots and visible backdrop remind us that everything has been carefully assembled for the camera.

It is a photograph that invites us to enjoy the artifice rather than overlook it. The handmade quality of the setting gives the scene a sense of spontaneity, despite the planning and craftsmanship involved. Even the smallest details, from the scattered flowers to the insect hovering at Keita's side, contribute to its peculiar charm.

And while the composition is full of things to discover, Keita remains unmistakably at its centre. His composed expression provides a quiet counterpoint to the exuberance around him, making the photograph feel as much a study of its subject as an exercise in imagination.

Discover Tim Walker's Fairyland in London

Harry Keita as Delphinium Fairy is among the photographs featured in Tim Walker's Fairyland: Love and Legends, now on view at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Bringing together approximately 250 portraits, the exhibition introduces visitors to a wide-ranging cast of artists, performers and activists, including Sir Ian McKellen, Isaac Julien, Miriam Margolyes and Chappell Roan. Together, the photographs explore more than five decades of queer culture, tracing the people, relationships and communities that have shaped its history.

Keita's portrait offers a particularly memorable introduction to the series. Beneath its elaborate costume and whimsical setting is an idea that has long animated Walker's photography: the pleasure of stepping outside the familiar, if only for the duration of a photograph.

Cultivist members can explore Tim Walker's Fairyland: Love and Legends at the National Portrait Gallery, one of our partner museums. Visit the app for access details and to plan your visit.