Candid
images of Paul and his late wife Linda may never have seen
the light of day if photographer Clive Arrowsmith had not cleared out
his attic.
The
playful shots were found in the loft of the celebrated fashion and
celebrity snapper, taken in impromptu sessions at the end of two
official photoshoots in 1976 and 1993 - the first of which featured
McCartney's band Wings, which he formed with Linda.
Arrowsmith
revealed that Paul asked the stylist to get some 'fun costumes' for a
spontaneous shoot, and judging from the results the party enjoyed their
dressing up session, with Linda even donning a fake beard.
Unseen images captured by photographer
Clive Arrowsmith of Sir Paul and Linda show the couple's
special bond. Paul gazes lovingly at his wife with a playful pout as
they clasp hands, their wedding bands clearly visible
In
one of the more recent portraits, the strong bond between the couple is
evident as they pose cheek to cheek. Paul pouts lovingly at his wife as
they clasp hands, their wedding bands clearly visible. Similarly a
colour shot from the same day shows Linda leaning companionably on
Paul's shoulder.
Another
more playful pose from 17 years earlier sees the pair in jaunty
costumes. Linda looks edgy in a top hat while Paul salutes the camera
wearing a beret and clasping a cane to his chest.
The
Beatle's famous Liverpudlian sense of humour is again apparent in a
photograph of him appearing to bungee jump whilst holding his guitar.
Despite the high-adrenaline activity, the musician still manages to look
over his shoulder and give a cheeky smile to camera.
Arrowsmith,
who was born in North Wales, told how stumbling across the pictures in
his London home had triggered many happy memories.
The
closeness of the Paul marriage is evident in the portraits of the
couple, which were found in the photographer's loft. The images will
appear in a special musical version of The Royal Photographic Society
Journal
The Beatle's famous sense of humour is
apparent in a photograph of Paul seeming to bungee jump while
holding his guitar
He
said: 'They really capture the seminal moments of the shoot when it all
came together. The fun we were all having, plus Paul and Linda's
closeness, it's the naturalness of the pictures that is the key to their
success.'
Their
rediscovery came to light during an interview with Arrowsmith in
the special music edition of The Royal Photographic Society's member
publication, The RPS Journal.
It's
no wonder that the British photographer, who made his name with iconic
pictures of Jimi Hendrix, was able to capture McCartney looking so
relaxed as the pair were close friends after meeting in their college
days.
Although
the pair did not attend the same academy (Arrowsmith trained at
Queensferry Art School while McCartney went to Liverpool Art School) the
fledging photographer hung around with Paul, John Lennon, George
Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe who would go on to form part of the
original line up of The Beatles.
For the Off the Ground album shoot in
1993, there were a wild array of costumes on set. Paul dons a
militia jacket and smart white trousers while his wife stands to his
left in a navy and pink dress in the style of the 1900s and an admiral's
hat
In another picture the happy couple
wear matching beards, while Linda wears and spangled black dress and
Paul a red coat. The members of his touring band stand around them, one
in an outfit suited to a Chinese emperor
He
has also photographed a roll call of fashion designers including Yves
Saint Laurent, Zandra Rhodes, Yamamoto; world-renowned musicians David
Bowie and Mick Jagger as well as actors Michael Caine, Tom Hardy and
Charlotte Rampling.
Andrew
Cattanach: Editor of The Royal Photographic Society Journal said:
'Clive Arrowsmith is one of the World's most celebrated fashion and
celebrity photographers who is held in very high regard amongst our
members & in the photographic world.
'I
am delighted that we were able to include an interview with him in our
April edition and that he has allowed us to bring these images into the
public domain.'
Other
photographs included in the collection are from Wing's album shoot for
Wings At The Speed Of Sound (1976) in which the band wear white
jumpsuits and aviation goggles.
Wings pose for a
casino-inspired photo in 1974 (pictured Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Paul : Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English). Arrowsmith said of
the images: 'They really capture the seminal moments of the shoot...
The fun we were all having, plus Paul and Linda's closeness, it's the
naturalness of the pictures that is the key to their success'
A laid back shot of Paul and Linda and his touring band on the cover of Off The Ground sitting
with their trousers rolled up and their feet dangling off the edge of a
railing
For the
shoot for McCartney's ninth studio solo album Off The Ground in 1993,
there were a wild array of costumes on set. Paul dons a militia jacket
and smart white trousers while his wife stands to his left in a
1900s-style navy and pink dress and an admiral's hat.
For another picture the happy couple sport matching beards, with Linda wearing a spangly black dress and Paul a red coat.
A
laid-back shot of Paul and Linda on the cover of Off the Ground show
them sitting with their feet dangling off the edge of a railing with the
touring band, their trousers rolled up.
Jeffery
Felner, a historian of fashion and style, wrote: 'Arrowsmith is not a
photographer that one can easily describe but it is safe to say that he
is part Avedon, Hiro, Mapplethorpe, Ritts, Bourdin, Scavullo, Coffin,
and more. His influences are vast, and his output is nothing less than
astounding and prodigious.'
Linda,
who came from a wealthy American family, made her own fortune from
photography and music, heavily boosted by her vegetarian food business.
The couple had three children together, the most famous of which is
fashion designer Stella.
Linda died in April 1998 at the age of 56 after a three-year battle with breast cancer.
The
images will appear is a special musical version of The RPS
Journal, which is guest edited by Gered Mankowitz (FRPS) and available
this month.
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