Penelope Tree

Penelope Tree (born 2 December 1949) is an English fashion model who rose to prominence during the Swinging Sixties in London.

Family Penelope Tree is the only child of Marietta Peabody Tree, a U.S. socialite and political activist, and Ronald, a British journalist, investor and Conservative MP. She is the half-sister of racehorse trainer Jeremy Tree and author Frances FitzGerald, and she is a niece of former Massachusetts governor Endicott Peabody.

Life and career Tree's family initially objected to her career as a model,

Tree made a striking appearance at the 1966 Black and White Ball thrown by author Truman Capote, wearing a black V-neck tunic with long slashes from the bottom making floating panels, worn over black tights.

The sensation she caused led photographers Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon to work together to make her a supermodel. She was 16 and her father had relented. David Bailey described Penelope as "an Egyptian Jiminy Cricket".

In 1967, Tree moved into Bailey's flat in London's Primrose Hill neighbourhood.

Scars from late-onset acne ended her career In 1972, she was arrested for possession of cocaine.

She was married to South African musician Ricky Fataar (a member of The Flames, The Rutles, and the Beach Boys). She has two children: Paloma Fataar, a graduate of Bard College and a student of Tibetan Buddhism and music; and Michael MacFarlane, by her relationship with Australian Jungian analyst Stuart MacFarlane.

Penelope Tree is a patron of Lotus Outreach, a charity which works in Cambodia in partnership with local grassroots women's organisations to give girls from the very poorest families the wherewithal to go to school.

In 1983, English indiepop band Felt released a song called "Penelope Tree", featuring a picture of her on the cover.

In 2011, Tree appeared as an interviewee for a documentary on the life of fashion editor Diana Vreeland.

In 2017, she was interviewed for a documentary about Beaton called Love, Cecil.

In 2024, her first novel, Piece Of My Heart, was published by Moonflower.