Alfred Wertheimer, "Elvis and Barbara Hearn."

"After having taken a shower, and still bare-chested, Elvis has his high school sweetheart, Barbara Hearn, listen on the phonograph to the acetate disc with cuts of his songs from the New York recording session."  Beautiful images of a young hopeful Elvis by photographer Alfred Wertheimer now on view at the National Portrait Gallery in London. "In 1956, 26-year old Alfred Wertheimer was asked to photograph a rising 21-year-old-star named Elvis Presley. When Presley walked on stage that year, he altered the beat of everyday life. The world changed. Wertheimer captured the singer’s transit to superstardom and the cultural transformation he helped launch. Elvis at 21 offers viewers an intimate look at the public and private life of one of the world’s most famous figures, and documents classic American life—from the diners to the train stops—in 1956." On view until January 23 2011. www.npg.si.edu