In 1983, the name Madonna was only beginning to appear on the horizon of the big stage. She was young, ambitious, and fiercely determined. In her interviews, the singer recalls how, upon arriving in New York City, she had only $35 in her pocket, but her self-belief was worth far more. Madonna dreamed of the stage, of fame, of changing the music world — and she seemed ready to do anything to make it happen.
Legendary Polaroids
It was during this period that Richard Corman, an American photographer known for his ability to spot future stars, met Madonna. They collaborated on a series of Polaroid portraits that are now considered legendary. Corman saw in her not just a young girl from New York — he captured the magnetism and fiery inner energy that would, within a few years, make Madonna an icon of global pop culture.
“I think Polaroid is a little gem that, in a sense, is just untouchable… They’re unmanipulated, they’re raw in the way things sometimes are… I just feel they’re important. I feel they’re part of pop culture history.” — Richard Corman for The New York Times.
Unrealized Idea
In total, the photographer took 66 shots at Madonna’s brother’s house in Manhattan — they were test shots for a movie casting project organized by Richard’s mother, although the project was never realized. Madonna came up with and executed the styling for the shoot herself.
“She was in white lace leggings under ripped jeans… in a denim jacket with graffiti on the back and cut-off sleeves, and on her wrists she wore rubber bracelets, like friendship bands she would give to friends,” Corman recalls. “Her makeup was incredibly bold: bright red lips and a beauty mark she had drawn on her cheek herself.”
Madonna 66
In November 2016, Richard Corman released the art book “Madonna 66”, which featured his Polaroid photographs of Madonna. The publication received worldwide acclaim, with positive reviews appearing in such prestigious media as The New York Times, New York Magazine, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and many others.
To this day, these nostalgic shots not only preserve the spirit of the young Madonna, but also transport viewers to the vibrant New York of the early 1980s, captivating with a unique color palette — a trace of the era when the original Polaroid chemical formula still existed and the company had yet to face bankruptcy.
