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Original glossy 8.5 x 11 contact sheet proof print containing 32 different images of Prince Rogers Nelson that were taken by photographer Robert Whitman in 1977. Each image depicts Prince posing in front of the famous five-story mural, 'The Music Wall,’ found on the outside of the Schmitt Music store in Minneapolis. The front is initialed by Whitman in silver ink, “RW, 1977,” and bears his copyright stamp, and the reverse features “This Paper Manufactured by Kodak” watermarks, two Whitman copyright stamps, and ink and felt tip notations, including a “C-14” identifier and a date of March 7, 1977. In fine condition.
Another proof of this contact sheet, and several of its images, can be found in Whitman’s 2017 limited edition photography book Prince: Pre Fame, a 40th-anniversary visual celebration of these iconic Minneapolis portrait sessions, which identifies these photos as deriving from ‘Roll 14.’
These images were captured during one of three separate photo shoots that photographer Robert Whitman made of Prince in 1977 for an introductory press kit aimed at potential record companies. The resulting photos, Prince’s first with a professional photographer, mark an instrumental moment in his career. Whitman photographed Prince in his Minneapolis studio, at manager Owen Husney’s Linden Hills Boulevard home, and on the streets of downtown Minneapolis, including in front of 'The Music Wall' mural painted on the side of the Schmitt Music store. Only 15 copies of the press kit were ever produced, and the photographs from these sessions have rarely been seen.
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