Judy Linn, Patti Smith 1969-1976, *second-hand

'Before Smith became the was a world-renowned singer-songwriter which would later earn her the title of ‘the Godmother of Punk’, she was a struggling poet posing for the lens of photographer Judy Linn. In intimate portraits of an artist as a young woman, Linn captures Smith at her most vulnerable, as a raw performer on the verge of becoming an iconic artist.

“I was eager to be Judy’s model and to have the opportunity to work with a true artist,” Smith state in the foreword for Linn’s book. “I felt protected in the atmosphere we created together. We had an inner narrative, producing our own unspoken film, with or without a camera.” 

Linn’s photographs, which offer a fascinating document of Smith’s maturation into one of the most influential women of her generation, also spotlighting her close relationships with other artists, including Robert Mapplethorpe and Sam Shepard.

This book captures a moment lost in time, when a poet experimenting with music crossed paths with a young artist experimenting with photography.'

Abrams, 2011. Condition: Cover shows small signs of wear (see relevant photo) but the book is in very good condition overall.