About the Work
Ramones, First Album Cover, New York City, 1976, photographed by Roberta Bayley.
Few photographs are as inseparable from an era as this portrait. Made in New York’s East Village during the session for the Ramones’ self-titled debut album, Bayley’s direct black-and-white image turned four musicians against a brick wall into one of the defining visual statements of early punk.
Offered here is an original vintage gelatin silver print made in 1976—not a later edition. The photograph is mounted to its original white presentation board and survives with the full margin. Bayley hand-titled The Ramones 1976 and signed the mount on the recto. The verso bears her copyright stamp and the handwritten notation printed by RWB in 1976.
Object details
- Vintage gelatin silver print, printed in 1976
- Image: 11 × 14 in (27.9 × 35.6 cm)
- Original mounted presentation: 16 × 20 in (40.6 × 50.8 cm)
- Hand-titled and signed by Roberta Bayley on the recto
- Photographer’s copyright stamp and handwritten 1976 printing notation on the verso
- Unframed
Rarity
This full-margin mounted example is unique in its presentation. TMPG knows of only one other vintage 1976 example of the image: an unmounted 11 × 14-inch print trimmed to the image edge, without the white margin. The two are materially distinct archive objects.
As both image and object, this is one of the most significant pieces in the TMPG archive: a period print of a photograph that helped define the visual identity of the Ramones and an entire generation of music.
Price on request. A certificate of authenticity and detailed condition report are available with the work. Worldwide insured delivery can be arranged.
