Where and when were the only known photographs of the great blues
guitarist and songwriter Robert Johnson found? As far as I know, only
two photographs have come to light, and only a few years ago, too. By
now, these images are widely distributed. But who found them, and
what's the story behind their discovery?

Thanks!

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Clarification of Question by braitman-ga on 16 Jan 2006 10:25 PST

If the additional information could be included: Who owns the
photographs now, where are they located, and were sold and at what
price? Thanks very much!

Hello, I found the following information at
http://www.deltahaze.com/johnson/Legacy.html

Photographs
There are only two known photographs in existence (Click on the small
images to view larger, higher quality versions.) You can find
merchandise related to these photos at Pomegranate Publications.

This postage-stamp-size photograph was found inadvertently by Stephen
LaVere while he and Robert Johnson's half-sister Carrie Thompson were
searching in Mrs. Thompson's old cedar chest for other memorabilia
relating to her brother. The image was reversed, i.e., it's a mirror
image, as is indicative of the mechanism of photo booths of the day,
and the negative made for LaVere by Thompson must be reversed in the
printing process for the image to correctly appear. Being a photo
booth photograph, it was taken by the subject and hence its title:
photo-booth self-portrait. Mrs. Thompson recalled then that it was
taken a couple of years before the Hooks Bros. Studio Portrait. While
Mrs. Thompson assigned all rights in this photograph to LaVere as part
of an all-inclusive business deal in late 1974, she retained the
original print. Mrs. Thompson passed away in 1983 and the present
whereabouts and condition of the little original are uncertain.

This photograph is not public domain and was duly registered for
copyright upon its initial publication in Rolling Stone magazine in
1986. Its formal credit and copyright notice are as follows:

Robert Johnson
photo-booth self-portrait, early 1930's
©1986 Delta Haze Corporation
All Rights Reserved.

If you would care to inquire about licensing this photograph, please
use the License Application found herein.

 
 

This holy grail of the blues was displayed to Stephen LaVere during
his initial meeting and personal interview with Robert Johnson's
half-sister Carrie Thompson. The photograph was taken by Hooks Bros.
of Memphis and was printed on heavy card stock as was customary for
fine portraits in those days. The imprint of the photography business'
embossing stamp is clearly visible on the original. Mrs. Thompson
allowed the photograph to be borrowed, copied and returned to her
while she held a security deposit. She later assigned all rights in
the photograph to LaVere as part of an all-inclusive business deal in
late 1974, but she retained the original print. Mrs. Thompson passed
away in 1983 and the present whereabouts and condition of the only
known original print of this beautiful portrait are uncertain.

This photograph is not public domain and was duly registered for
copyright upon its initial publication in 78 Quarterly magazine in
1989. Its formal credit and copyright notice are as follows:

Robert Johnson Studio Portrait
Hooks Bros., Memphis, circa 1935
©1989 Delta Haze Corporation
All Rights Reserved. 

If you would care to inquire about licensing this photograph, please
use the License Application found herein.

Hope this helps

Thanks for the very good research. I had no idea there was a private
company set up to deal with the licensing issues. I wonder how much
they had to pay to the no-doubt-poor relatives for all these
world-wide rights. (heh heh). And, it's perplexing to find that the
originals of the Robert Johnson photographs can't be located. Hmm....