John Lennon, New York City, 1974 — Unique Vintage Contact Sheet, Printed 1976

Bob Gruen’s contact sheet from the celebrated 1974 John Lennon New York City T-shirt rooftop session is one of the most historically significant photographic objects in the TMPG archive.

This unique vintage gelatin silver contact sheet was printed in 1976, only two years after the session. Unlike a later reproduction of the famous photograph, the contact sheet preserves the original sequence of frames and the physical evidence of the photographer’s working process.

The sheet includes multiple exposures from the rooftop session, including frames of Lennon wearing the now-iconic NEW YORK CITY T-shirt. As a unique vintage object, it connects the image not only to its subject but to the photographic process, the artist’s archive, scarcity and the passage of time.

Photographer: Bob Gruen
Subject: John Lennon
Image date: 1974
Print date: 1976
Location: New York City
Process: Gelatin silver print
Object type: Contact sheet
Dimensions: 8 × 10 inches (20.3 × 25.4 cm)
Edition / rarity: Unique vintage object
Availability: Price on request

This work is presented as an archive-record and embodies TMPG’s approach to collecting: identifying and preserving historically important photographic objects whose significance lies not only in the image, but in the object, its process, scarcity and history.