Extraordinary in its intimacy and scope, Alfred Wertheimer’s Elvis Presley portfolio immortalized the singer on the brink of superstardom. A jewel for any Elvis fan, this Collector’s Edition, signed by Wertheimer, brings together remarkable shots of the singer from 1956 and 1958. Nearly half of these photographs have never been published before. Limited Collector’s Edition ISBN 978-3-8365-3423-9 (1,957), signed by Alfred Wertheimer.
That hair! Those hips! Elvis Presley in the prime of his life and the beginning of his career, as captured in this fascinating fly-on-the-wall account by photographer Alfred Wertheimer, which leaves us feeling like hysterical girls circa 1956. -10 Magazine
Wertheimer took more than 3,000 candid shots of the Hillbilly Cat, some among the most iconic. - The Wall Street Journal
The 2,500 photos Wertheimer captured rank among the most intimate and revealing portraits of the young star. - The Hollywood Reporter
...an extraordinary archive of a time, a place and the single person who defined it. Their fly-on-the-wall intimacy is testament, too, to the convergence of two relatively shy individuals. - The Observer
Hardcover in clamshell box, letterpress-printed chapter openers, 418 pages.
Elvis who? was photographer Alfred Wertheimer’s response when, in early 1956, an RCA Victor publicist asked him to photograph an up-and-coming crooner from Memphis. Little did Wertheimer know that this would be the job of his life: just 21 years old, Elvis Presley was—as we now know—about to become a legend. Trailing him like a shadow, Wertheimer was given unlimited scope to get up close and personal with Elvis; even as the singer was seducing young women in dark hallways, he allowed the photographer to record his every move. Wertheimer took nearly 3,000 photographs of Presley that year, creating a penetrating portrait of a man poised on the brink of superstardom. Extraordinary in its intimacy and unparalleled in its scope, Wertheimer’s Elvis project immortalized a young man in the very process of making history. (Just a month after he shot Elvis recording the “Don’t Be Cruel”/“Hound Dog” record, it became the first ever to top all three Billboard charts.)
Signed by Wertheimer brings together his most remarkable Elvis shots from 1956, along with a selection of his historic 1958 pictures of the star being shipped off to an army base in Germany. Though many of Wertheimer’s photos of Elvis are among the best known, nearly half of the photographs in this book have never been published before. Each chapter is illustrated with an original poster created for this book by Hatch Show Print, one of the oldest letterpress print shops in America. In business since 1879, Hatch printed posters for vaudeville, circuses, and entertainers on world tour in the early 20th century; and created many of the powerful woodblock images that helped define the look of country music in the 1940s and rock and roll (including many early Elvis posters) in the ’50s. Fans of photojournalism, portraiture, and, of course, the King himself will covet this collector’s volume.
. Limited to a total of 1,956 numbered copies signed by Alfred Wertheimer, this book is available as a Collector’s Edition (No. 251–1,956), and also in two Art Editions of 125 copies each (No. 1–125 and No. 126–250).
Alfred Wertheimer (1929-2014) was born in Germany, emigrated to America and settled in Brooklyn as a young boy. Wertheimer’s photographs, which first gained national attention after Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977, capture the metamorphosis of pop music and the cultural transformation of America.
Provenance: Miami Beach, Florida Estate.
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Condition: Excellent overall condition to the Frame and Canvas.
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Condition: Notwithstanding this report or any discussion concerning condition of a Lot, all Lots are offered and sold As Is, Where Is, in accordance with our Conditions of Sale. All Auction Lots are available for a FaceTime viewing, by appointment, with one of our Team Members on Tuesday, November 04, 2025, or Wednesday, November 05, 2025. To schedule a FaceTime appointment, please email us: craven@houseofcraven.com.
