Portrait of Paul and Linda McCartney by Diltz Henry - 1971

Offering: The Kodachrome II print given by Paul McCartney to Vincent Romeo, (his personal manager with McCartney Productions Ltd), one of a few developed expressly for Paul and Linda McCartney for private circulation. Purchased at the first memorabilia auction of Vincent Romeo's collection, the print (unsigned, unnumbered) has never been framed and is sleeved loose, as issued in the original Kodak color enlargement folder. No other example of the rare 276 x 353 mm (10.87 x 13.9 inches) print is known to have been offered for sale. Taken at the Malibu photo shoot that produced the iconic April 16, 1971 LIFE magazine cover, the print is a different and far more interesting photograph. As evidenced by the smaller grouping of yellow flowers in the background, the shot was taken closer in with a wider aperture. Because of its extraordinary intimacy, it was reserved for Paul and Linda and developed from the transparency by Kodak Lab about three months later, using the K-12 Development Process. Kodak's stamped seal on the rear of the print states, "A color print made by Kodak, July 71R." With its moving contrasts of emotional openness and reticence and exquisite balance of color, light, and shadow, it communicates Paul and Linda's love in a way never surpassed. The Day Shoot: was held to promote the image of the post-Beatles Paul McCartney. The April 16, 1971 issue of LIFE magazine featured a famous interview with Paul, his first since the breakup of the Beatles. Publicity was coordinated with the May 1971 release of Paul McCartney's music recording, RAM, with contributions by Linda McCartney. The recording of RAM had been finished in March and Paul and Linda were working together on the illustrated RAM songbook at a house rented in Malibu, California for the family, including their two girls, Heather (by Linda's first marriage) and Mary (b. 1969, their first child together). Linda was three months pregnant with Stella. Henry Diltz, had met Linda (then Linda Eastman) in the summer of 1966 at the Modern Age Photo Lab in New York and she felt Paul would be comfortable with him. It was decided to invite Henry to shoot the session at the Malibu house, knowing he didn't develop his own work. The afternoon shots were taken with a Pentax SLR 35mm camera by the garden near the pool. Paul was engrossed with his marriage and family with Linda and determined to integrate her into his musical life. The published LIFE interview with Richard Merryman closes with Paul's comment on family, farm, and the new energy he has discovered; "We've got to get back to plant the seeds. Nature doesn't wait." Condition: Near Very Good. Print: top tips with trace wear, top outer corner with two tiny scratches, edges with light bend that won't be seen when mounted and framed. Scrutinized close-up in bright light, a slight dulling of Paul's hair can be seen on the left side, likely from cleaning: there is no other color deterioration. Rear of Print: a finger smudge and small black bar, marks not visible viewing the print. / Kodak Folder: some handling wear and a few bubbles, a small stain at the top edge and light soiling, upper side with auction number in pencil. Vincent Romeo: Before becoming personal manager for Paul McCartney at MPL, he was a leading agent with CMA and represented Cat Stevens and Grand Funk Railroad. Recommended to Paul and Linda by Lee V. Eastman, Linda's father, a prominent New York entertainment lawyer, who had been retained as counsel by Grand Funk Railroad, he left CMA for MPL. After, he became vice president of artist development for CBS International Records. Henry Diltz: A leading rock photographer of the 60's-70's California rock music scene and the official photographer of Woodstock and the Monterey Pop Festival, he would also be flown to the Virgin Islands by Paul and Linda McCartney in 1977 to take photos for a remembrance book while Wings was finishing tracks for "London Town". Photographs for more than 250 album sleeves are credited to him, including the first album of Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Doors' "Morrison Hotel", James Taylor's "Sweet Baby James", Jackson Browne's eponymous debut, and the Eagles' "Desperado". A documentary, "Under the Covers" discusses his album cover collaborations with Gary Burden. The comprehensive book on his work is "Henry Diltz: Rock On: The Photographs" with foreword by Graham Nash.