The year was 1956 and a fresh-faced but provocative young man was introducing himself to the country while launching a musical and cultural revolution. Another young man, a creative and prescient photojournalist, positioned himself to be at the right place at the right time and captured the revolution in the making. The result is the exceptional exhibition, Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer opening at Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center for the Arts on April 22.
 
Taken during the year Elvis Presley turned 21, Alfred Wertheimer’s photographs showcase one of rock ’n’ roll’s most enduring figures. This was the year Elvis released his first record, made his first television appearance, and started his movie career. It was the year he became a star. Wertheimer, then a young freelance photographer, was there to document the moment that Elvis erupted onto the cultural landscape.  
 
“The photographs in the exhibit reveal an Elvis on the cusp of stardom,” said Courtney McNeil, Telfair Museums’ Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions. “The photos would prove to be the last time any photographer had such close and intimate access to Elvis. We are extremely honored to be able to share with Savannah this unique photographic record of such an iconic figure from American pop culture.”

The presentation also coincides with the 60th anniversary of Elvis’ first concert in Savannah, which was held on June 25, 1956. According to press accounts from the time, Elvis appeared at the former Savannah Sports Arena for two shows. Wearing his blue suede shoes, Elvis performed the #1 single of the year, Heartbreak Hotel, and other songs for thousands of screaming Savannah fans…mostly girls.

Savannah was one of the stops in the South before he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on Sept. 9, 1956, and with that performance Elvis was a national star, never again to be available for the personal and intimate access that the exhibit photographs captured. He would go on to make his acting debut in Love Me Tender in November of the same year.

The exhibit includes approximately 40 photographs printed from the original 1956 negatives under the supervision of the photographer. It also marks the first exhibition of this body of work since the death of Alfred Wertheimer in October 2014.