National Portrait Gallery
8th and G Streets, NW
Washington, DC
On view are photographs taken in 1956 by 26-year-old Alfred Wertheimer, who was hired by RCA Victor to shoot promotional images of a rising star named Elvis Presley. When Elvis walked on stage that year, he altered the beat of everyday life. Wertheimer captured the singer's transit to superstardom and the cultural transformation he helped launch, offering viewers an intimate look at Elvis's public and private life and documenting classic American life—from the diners to the train stops—in 1956.
