In 1954, Elvis Presley was a 19-year-old singer trying to make a career for himself. With a couple singles under his belt, the next step was to have some publicity photos taken. For this, Elvis turned to William Speer, a well-known Memphis photographer. The photo session took place at Speer’s Memphis studio in November 1954 or March 1955 (Speer was uncertain of the date). According to the veteran photographer, he and his wife knew from the moment the unknown singer walked into the studio that he was something special. According to Mrs. Speer, “It felt like an electrical charge in the room. You can tell the famous ones or the ones who are going to be famous. They stand out in a room without you even knowing who they are.”

This moody 8x10 original studio portrait of the future King of Rock & Roll was the product of his session with Speer. This example has been printed with “ELVIS PRESLEY” at the bottom along with “160 Union Ave. Memphis, TN”, which was the address of Bob Neal, Elvis’ promoter before Colonel Tom Parker took over in 1956. This early piece of Elvis history is completed on the reverse with a period Elvis Presley signature in 8-9/10 blue ballpoint pen. The publicity photo does have a few condition issues. The bottom right corner has been chipped and there are some surface scuffs and creases. However, none of this takes away from the stunning Speer photo and the superb example of Elvis’ signature on the back. This signed photo has been encapsulated Authentic by PSA/DNA for the autograph only. We cannot gaurantee this will receive a Type 1 from Henry Yee of PSA/DNA, but it certainly appears to be off the original negative.