Elvis At 21: New York To Memphis
by Alfred Wertheimer

Presley, fFrom a jack to a King

Any Elvis fan worth their salt will have seen Alfred Wertheimer’s iconic pictures of the King, taken during 1956, but never like this. The reproduction is nothing short of gorgeous. There are many fullpage shots and, when even that much space isn’t enough, there are a few fold-out sections, one of which contains the famous shot of Elvis and his date playfully touching tongues backstage.

Wertheimer provides commentary; the likes of ‘When somebody is doing something that is more important in his or her life than having their photograph taken, you’re going to get good pictures.’ So it was with Elvis, whom Wertheimer captured as he was being transformed from regional success to national phenomenon: laying on a couch surrounded by dressing-room debris; recording Hound Dog; carefully styling his hair in the bathroom; being the dutiful son upon returning home to Memphis.

Though performance photos are exciting, the intimacy of the off-stage shots makes this compelling. Wedged together inside claustrophobic rooms, Presley reveals himself to the photographer in a way he rarely did again, the calm in the centre of the storm swirling around him.

A limited edition version is also available, for $295, with 200 additional photographs.

ISBN 1933784016

Reviewed by Gillian G Gaar
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