Hi! Welcome to the MLP blog! It’s been a LONG time since I’ve shared any work in this space and my website is in the middle of a MUCH needed refresh, but I’m so happy you're here. The portrait session I'm sharing below was definitely a fun and personal one - a labor of love if you will. It reminded me that you never know what can light a creative spark, and you may be surprised where you'll end up if you let that spark lead the way. But before we dive into the details on this portrait project, let's go back in time to learn a bit of history about its inspiration.
Picture this - it's June 30, 1956 and a handsome and brooding 21-year-old Elvis Presley hops off the train at Richmond's Broad Street station. The station itself (now home to The Science Museum of Virginia) opened just a mere 13 years prior. The sideburned singer (or is it rock'n'roller?) nobody quite knows what to make of him and the music just yet; is heading downtown to the Mosque Theater to perform two afternoon shows for a few thousand of his new and fervent female fans. One lucky female in particular also made the pilgramage to see the new performer in Richmond that day. While we would not learn her name until more than a half century later, her likeness would be curiously and carefully cemented in the minds of Elvis fans and photographers forever. Barbara “Bobbi” Gray, a Southern Belle from South Carolina had reached Elvis on the telephone a few days before - he was performing in her hometown of Charleston. Barbara's friends dared her to dial up the energetic entertainer at his hotel. She was patched right through. The two co-eds chatted for nearly an hour, and Elvis invited Barbara to come meet him at his next show in Virginia. As they say, the rest is history.
Lucky for us, another young and talented up-and-comer also made the trip to Virginia's capital city in June of '56. Alfred Wertheimer was a 26-year-old freelance photojournalist from up North trying to make a name for himself. His family landed in America after having to flee Nazi Germany in 1936. As a teenager, Alfred honed his photography skills using a camera gifted to him by his brother while working for his high school newspaper. After graduating, he enlisted and became an official photographer for the United States Army. Now RCA was calling on the creative kid from Brooklyn and offered him what would later be seen as an opportunity of a lifetime. But at this moment, it was just a much-needed paying photography gig. The NYC-based recording company told Alfred they needed him to photograph a new artist they had recently signed away from SUN Records in Memphis - Elvis Presley. To which Alfred animatedly responded "Elvis who?” Presley was still very much a regional star at the time, mostly in the South. His culture-shifting singing and swiveling on the Ed Sullivan show would not happen for another three months. But for Alfred, it was the next seven days that stole his focus as he was sent to follow Elvis and document his journey from Manhattan to Memphis
and all things in between.
All things in between…is what brings us back to Bobbi Gray and the reason I'm writing this blog. The pretty and petite 20-year-old had safely made her way to Richmond and to Elvis that June day. Before heading to The Mosque Theater (now Altria) the two enjoyed a playful cab ride, coy conversation and a bite to eat at The Jefferson Hotel lunch counter. Alfred was along for the ride capturing every carefree moment of the pair’s impromptu meeting.
While it was a sweltering Virginia day outside, it seemed the temperature began to rise even more between the charismatic couple once they were inside the theater. In a dark stairwell just behind the theater's stage, Alfred Wertheimer stumbled upon the instant sweethearts as they escaped into each other’s gaze, unbothered by anything or
anyone around them.
Lit by the dreamy haze of one small window and a shabby single lightbulb, Alfred was able to capture the future King Of Rock'n'roll and his "date for the day" in some of the most spontaneous, intimate, yet innocent, moments of young love and lust. I believe they happen to be some of the most romantic images ever captured candidly on film.
In an interview Alfred once described the moment he was in the theater's restroom and realized he had lost track of his subject, "Elvis had disappeared. I go down to the landing where the stage area is. You've now got 3,000 kids, mostly girls in there and the 'Elvis Presley Show' is going on except there's no Elvis Presley around. I look down this long, narrow passageway, the light at the end of the tunnel and there's a silhouette of two people at the far end and I say oh yes, there's Elvis with a girl who was his date for the day but do I interrupt them? Do I squeeze off a frame or two from a distance or do I go closer in?" Alfred decides in that moment that he's a journalist who takes care of business - he was hired to photograph Elvis and this intimate moment was part of the singer's story. He maneuvers around the tiny stairwell, climbs the handrails, twisting and turning and contorting his body to find the best way to get the shot.
And boy did he succeed.
His most famous capture is simply titled "The Kiss."
His perfectly imperfect photographs are likely to make any human’s heart beat a little louder and the butterflies in their belly flutter a little faster - even when viewing them 68 years to the day after they were created. Legacy on so many levels!
It’s that legacy that I wanted to pay tribute to with this portrait project. I wanted to use Alfred's images as inspration to help create new and modern moments in and around that same dimly lit and nostalgic narrow stairwell.
After realizing some of my personal favorite moments Alfred documented happened in my home city, I had to find a way to connect to them. It was too close not to! So, I decided to do it with my camera. This project was not about exactly recreating Alfred’s work, because let's face it, that’s an impossible task. And of course, there is only one Elvis. For me, it was more about challenging myself and working on something that was completely creative and unlike anything I've done before. No pressure and no expectations. Just allowing the story behind the creation of the original images to guide me into creating a current version of my own ...that I hope still gives ya all the good and nostalgic feels.
When I first saw Alfred’s images I was instantly captivated. He was a true documentarian. An observer. A creator. A detail hunter. A person there to share in and document another human having very mundane experiences. In this case, the subject also happened to be sprinkled with a little bit of music magic. But it's the common human element that we so often miss out on in the moment. Alfred repeatedly saw and captured that element, which seems to be a diffcult one for many to remember when it comes to Elvis in particular, likely because of his unprecedented fame and its future trappings. But Alfred captured his humanity and his heart, his polite nature and playfulness, his charismatic yet approachable personality, all before the whole world knew him simply by his first name. They are small moments in time that were so unique, so special and oh so fleeting. We ALL have these small moments in our lives. The real magic is in the mundane. These small moments are typically ones we later realize we cherish beyond measure. All the more reason to try to appreciate and document them however we can.
Shooting this portrait session was all about the vibe, and holy cow does Altria Theater have a vibe! To have the opportunity to work within those walls, walk in those famous footsteps and move about in the space where such beautiful scenes transpired was exhilarating. To have the chance, even in a small way, to pay homage to two exceptional artists who existed together in this one minor moment in time, but whose work has everlasting influence, was beyond special. If I’m being honest, it was also quite overwhelming. But I’m thrilled I took the chance. Keep scrolling to see more of what we were able to reimagine and bring to life within the theater walls.
To the absolutely gorgeous couple who volunteered without hesitation to be my "Elvis and Bobbi” - you guys are the true rockstars of this project! Samantha and Pavlos, thank you for being so positive, engaged and excited to help me create these images and make them feel as authentic as you are! I truly believe y’all were meant to be in this place with me at this particular moment in time. What a dream it was to photograph you! I hope these images will bring you joy in the years to come.
I also want to thank Sally at Altria Theater for being more than helpful in this process and a big cheerleader for “Project Elvis”! We’re not quite done yet - stay tuned!
Richmonders, we are so lucky to have a gorgeous and historal theater like this still in business and thriving in our city. It has so many stories to tell.
Get yourself to some shows!
To all the Elvis fans I’ve come to know recently, thank you for keeping his humanity and his heart alive. You all inspire me in so many ways - he would be so proud of the community he still continues to culitvate all these years later.
And to all of you who made it this far - thank you! I hope you enjoyed the history and the imagery. It’s not always easy sharing your creative pursuits with the world, especially when you have impossible shoes to fill on a project like this. Your support means more than you know! I intend to do more “Inspired By” projects in the future. I’m just waiting for that next lightning strike of inspiration to hit me.
Finally, I want to dedicate this project to Bobbi Gray who passed away in March 2023. Without her boldness, and willingness to step out on her own “The Kiss” would not exist. That night in 1956, after the show, she said goodbye to Elvis forever and went home to Charleston where she lived a long and lovely life. For decades, she kept her story about the day she spent canoodling with "The King" a sweet little secret.
We’re so grateful you shared your secret and your story with us Bobbi.
If you'd like to see more of Alfred Wertheimer's work, read more about his time with Elvis or hear from Bobbi herself, I've linked some great online resources below.
Alfred's work is truly remarkable - I hope you check it out!
Images that appear above from 1956 were all taken by Alfred Wertheimer.
All other work was created by Mandy Lawrence Photography.
You amaze me with your talent. Side Memo, MLP (you’ve had this URLfor years) but I took this as yet another sign Mrs Presley❤️
What a lovely tribute to Alfred,Elvis and Bobbi !! I'm bookmarking this page so I can come back to it,such beautiful photographs,you re-captured that special day so we'll Mandy,how lucky are we to now have this amazing memory with a fresh view. Thank you for creating this,I think Alfred is smiling down on you ❤️