See 10 Striking Photos of a Young Patti Smith Taken by Her Friend and Collaborator, Lynn Goldsmith

The four-decade friendship between musician Patti Smith and
rock’n’roll photographer Lynn Goldsmith has led the pair to
collaborate on a new limited-edition photo book, published last
month by Taschen.

Released in an edition of 1,300, each $700 volume is signed by
both women, and features hundreds of photos along with new writings
by Smith.

“I no longer remember how we met, nor the genesis of our first
photographs,” Smith says in the book’s introduction. But the
pictures in the book—many of which are published for the first
time—reveal Goldsmith as a constant presence in Smith’s life,
shooting behind-the-scenes documentary photography as well as
studio portraits and concert images.

This unique relationship between photographer and subject gives
the book a narrative thrust unusual for such a publication. Titled
Before Easter
After, the glossy tome is centered on a traumatic event
from Smith’s life, which was captured by Goldsmith as she followed
the Patti Smith Band on tour in 1977. In a terrible accident, Smith
fell from the stage during a performance, fracturing her back,
tailbone, neck, and skull.

From her vantage point in the crowd, Goldsmith shot a harrowing
image of Smith crashing to the ground. Goldsmith followed as
paramedics loaded Smith onto a stretcher, photographing all the
while—but she was also there to support her friend in the
aftermath.

The fall was a pivotal moment for Smith, both personally and
professionally. The book features Goldsmith’s poignant images of
Smith’s rehabilitation and recovery, as well as images from the
photo shoot for Smith’s next album, which the singer
titled Easter, in recognition that coming back
from such a devastating injury was akin to a resurrection.

Through Goldsmith’s lens, Smith oozes effortless sophistication,
her strength and beauty resonating across the decades. Of course,
the book offers an important record of music history, but more
strikingly, it is a testament to the truly creative partnership
between the two women.

See more images from the book below.

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by Her Friend and Collaborator, Lynn Goldsmith appeared first
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