Amazing collection of 48 signed original vintage candid photographs of the various members of the Rolling Stones, and more than 40 unsigned candid photos, captured and assembled in the early to mid-1960s by Marilyn Hill—an amateur photographer and massive Rolling Stones fan who occasionally helped out with the band's fan club. Her tenacity as a celebrity street photographer—and her dedication as an autograph hound—is evident within this remarkable archive. She seems to have had a special affinity for Mick Jagger—or he for her—as the Stones charismatic frontman tops the collection with a remarkable 40 autographs.
Includes:
Mick Jagger: 19 smaller signed candids (ranging in size from 3 x 3 to 4 x 5); three smaller signed press photos (5.5 x 4.25); three signed scrapbook pages with affixed candids; a 7.25 x 6 photo of Jagger with a young lady, indistinguishably signed on the front and boldly signed on the back; and 13 larger signed candids (all about 8 x 10). These include images of Jagger performing on stage, walking down the street, reading an industry magazine, signing autographs for fans, and a variety of close-up portraits.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards: one 5.5 x 4.25 glossy press photo of the pair on stage, signed by both in ink.
Bill Wyman: four smaller candid photos (all about 5 x 3.5), each signed on the reverse in blue ballpoint. Two show him with young ladies, and the other two show him in dark sunglasses.
Keith Richards: an 8 x 10 candid photo of the guitarist in cool sunglasses, neatly signed in the lower border in blue ballpoint; and three small candids featuring close-ups of the lead guitarist (ranging in size from 3.5 x 3.25 to 5 x 3.5), with one signed on the front and two signed on the reverse.
The archive additionally includes more than 40 unsigned candid photos—predominantly of Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman, and Keith Richards, but also including a few of Brian Jones and Charlie Watts (whose autograph is not represented here)—as well as polaroids from their first U.S tour, and three contact sheet prints from the original negatives. The unsigned photographs are similar in content to the signed examples, with various candid portraits, street scenes, and close-ups. Further includes two later guest passes from their 1981 tour, a decal from their 1981 Candlestick Park show, an embroidered 'tongue and lips' logo patch, and a handwritten fan poem about the band.
In overall very good to fine condition, with light contrast to some signatures and various minor creases and tape stains. These incredible and personal photographs capture all sides of the Rolling Stones—at work, at play, and at rest. From the cool Mick Jagger crooning into a microphone to a shirtless Keith Richards striking a goofball pose, these unique and unseen images offer a remarkable glimpse into the Rolling Stones as they came of age and rose to fame.
Marilyn Hill recalled her involvement with the band in a 2010 blog post entitled 'The Rolling Stones at corner of Rossmore Road,' in part: 'I don’t really have so many pictures now from being involved in the music business. I remember people developed their own pictures then. A friend’s father did some of mine. People would not only exchange pictures but negatives too…189 Gloucester Place was where the band’s manager Andrew Loog-Oldham lived and as I was reminded by The Stones magazine, the fan-club was moved to another flat in the same building in 1966. My friends and I helped out during holidays when the girls in the office were busy. I wonder if they arranged it so we could do this? Well I know my teachers came to gigs with us, and family members, especially to The Beatles, that would have been mums, dads, grannies, aunties and uncles! In those days, school children tended to be chaperoned by someone older, maybe a brother, even into their early teens. Not as we became older. (I later worked for Andrew Loog-Oldham at his record label Immediate.) At times there were quite a few of us school children helping in the music business, hardly slave labour. A labour of love more like!… Fans went absolutely potty about everyone, boys screamed and yelled at girl and boy artistes and girls screamed and yelled at boy and girl artistes. Not being able to hear the music just hearing yelling is an emotion I still hold. One of the reasons The Beatles called it a day, and one of things said was that they couldn’t hear the music they were playing.'
