This is only a preview. The auction will open on: 10/28/2026 1:00:00 PM
Offered Here: KISS 1974 Single Rare BW Contact Sheet & Partial Negatives of KISS at The Make-Up Center With Transfer Rights
Item Details: Direct from the private collection of legendary rock photographer Waring Abbott, this historically significant lot features a single rare black-and-white contact sheet displaying 34 frames, paired with 24 individual cut negative frames (no full strips; not all matching negatives present). Captured on April 24, 1974, these incredible candid images document KISS at the famous Make-Up Center in New York City during the vital early months of their rise to stardom. Sold with full transfer rights, this authentic production-era working document shows true rock-and-roll history, with potential grease pencil marks, handwriting, punch holes, identification dots, creases, tape residue, and natural 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, when Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons recruited drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley, and the band released its self-titled debut album on Casablanca Records in early 1974. The group's distinctive face paint and stage personas, the Starchild, the Demon, the Spaceman and the Catman, became central to its identity and helped define the theatrical side of 1970s hard rock. After building a following through relentless touring, KISS broke through commercially with the 1975 live album "Alive!" and went on to become one of the most commercially successful American rock bands, with its make-up and merchandising shaping how rock acts presented themselves visually.
Condition: Good with potential grease pencil marks, handwriting, punched holes, identification dots, edge wear, possible folds, creases, mild waving, tape, tape residue, along with common signs of age including mild discoloration. This lot includes only partial negatives and not every frame from the contact sheet has a corresponding negative. Only 24 cut negative frames are included in this lot.
SKU: WBB1027