This is only a preview. The auction will open on: 10/28/2026 1:00:00 PM
Offered Here: KISS 1974 Lot of 3 Rare BW Contact Sheets & Partial Negatives of KISS at Georgette Klinger Salon With Transfer Rights
Item Details: From the private collection of acclaimed rock photographer Waring Abbott, this historically significant lot features three rare black-and-white contact sheets showing 95 visible frames, paired with 29 individual cut negative frames and no complete negatives, capturing KISS at the Georgette Klinger Salon on April 30, 1974. These incredibly rare, candid images document the band during a uniquely famous promotional appearance at the height of their early-career ascent. Offered with full transfer rights, these authentic production-era working documents are in good condition and display genuine history, including grease pencil marks, handwriting, punched holes, mild waving, edge wear, creases, tape, tape residue, and expected age-related discoloration.
Provenance / Authenticity: The items in this lot are sourced directly from the personal archives of renowned photojournalist Waring Abbott. Abbott’s iconic imagery has graced the pages of Time, Newsweek, People, Rolling Stone, and countless foreign publications, alongside legendary album covers and photo spreads for KISS, Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, and Bob Dylan and others.
KISS formed in New York City in 1973 around Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, and released their self-titled debut album on Casablanca Records in February 1974, building their early following through relentless touring and publicity that put their greasepaint personas front and center. In those first years, before the 1975 live album Alive! made them a major commercial force, the band and its management relied heavily on press-friendly appearances and staged photo opportunities to keep their image in front of the public. That fusion of visual theatrics, character branding and hard rock became a template for arena-scale spectacle and made KISS one of the most heavily merchandised and widely recognized acts in rock history.
Condition: Good with grease pencil marks, handwriting, notes, punched holes, mild waving, edge wear, creases, tape, tape residue, and expected age-related discoloration. This lot includes only partial negatives and not every frame from the contact sheet has a corresponding negative. Only 26 cut negative frames are included in this lot.
SKU: WBB1030