Allen Ginsberg

The image shows two men seated side by side, facing each other. The man on the left has short, wavy hair and is looking slightly to his right, while the man on the right has short, neat hair and is looking slightly to his left. Both men are shirtless and appear to be sitting closely, with the man on the right having his arm around the shoulders of the man on the left. The setting appears to be a domestic environment, likely a kitchen or living space, as there are shelves with books, boxes, and a visible photograph in the background. The photograph is black and white, with handwritten text below the image.

Lafcadio & Peter Orlovsky at kitchen table, Peter's apartment 5 Turner Terrace, a veteran's housing Project near a gigantic gas tank on Potrero Hill. 23 year old Peter brought Lafcadio, age 15, to Bay Area to stay with us, relieve his mother Kate in Northport, L.I., where Lafcadio knew Kerouac, and had visions of becoming a millionaire (and building a private space-ship to get off Nuked Planet Earth to another world) by answering dozens & dozens of get-rich-quick home-sales ads ("Earn $800.00 a day selling special Fish-bait oil by Telephone!") in pulp magazines' back pages. next Laf quit Jr. High School to bicycle downtown S.F. for dishwashing job--"One of the best periods of his life, getting his first whiff of work, money, independence, he was sparking up, got three social security cards, the F.B.I. came round to investigate" . . .

Allen Ginsberg

1956, printed 1995

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2011.146.36

Not on view

The image shows a man seated on a piece of furniture, holding a cigarette. He is dressed in a dark blazer, light-colored shirt, tie, and light-colored trousers. The setting includes a structured couch or daybed with a folded blanket, a patterned box or suitcase nearby, a piano, and other objects in the background.

Robert LaVigne, Painter friend of Poets, visiting 1010 Montgomery Street – see Kerouac's portrait of LaVigne as “Levesque” in Desolation Angels, “Robert Browning” in Big Sur. We’d all lived together on Gough Street & later Hotel Weatley thou Peter & I moved to Montgomery Street North Beach, where I wrote Howl in this room, S.F. 1955

Allen Ginsberg

1955, printed later

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2012.118.50

Not on view

Neal Cassady and his love of that year the star-cross’d Natalie Jackson conscious of their rôles in Market Street Eternity: Cassady had been prototype for Jack Kerouac’s 1950 On the Road saga hero Dean Moriarty, as later in 1960’s he’d taken the driver’s wheel of Ken Kesey’s psychedelic-era day-glo painted Merry Prankster crosscountry bus “Further.” Neal’s illuminated American automobile mania, “unspeakably enthusiastic” friendship & erotic energy had already written his name in brightlit signs of our literary imaginations before movies were made imitating his charm. That’s why we stopped under the marquee to fix the passing hand on the watch, San Francisco, maybe March 1955.

Allen Ginsberg

1955, printed 1996

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2009.103.10

Not on view

The image shows three young men seated at a diner counter. The first man on the left has short, dark hair and wears a dark shirt. The second man has a neat, closely-cropped haircut, a slight smile, and wears a light-colored suit with a shirt and tie. The third man has short, light hair and distinct facial features, wearing a dark blazer over a white shirt. They are inside a diner, with reflections in the mirror, bright lights, and a signage related to florists in the background.

Peter’s friend Henry Schlacter from S.F. Community College, Kerouac’s buddy Al Sublette & Peter Orlovsky in Foster’s Cafeteria under Hotel Weatley on Polk & Sutter, “Polk Gulch”, we all rendez-vous’d hours & hours, living in neighborhood. Robert LaVigne made many sketches & group portrait oil tableaux small and large with mirror-reflected tables & visages of ourselves, Cassady, Natalie, etc. that season, San Francisco early 1955.

Allen Ginsberg

1955, printed 1994

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2012.118.89

Not on view

The image shows two men standing side by side on a sidewalk. The man on the left has his left hand in his pocket and is wearing a light-colored suit jacket, light pants, and sunglasses. The man on the right has a cigarette in his mouth and is wearing a checkered shirt, an open jacket, and dark pants. A vintage car with a visible license plate that reads "589459" is behind them. Parked cars surround the scene in the background, with a sign on a building above them displaying the beginnings of the words "DEPENDABLE DEALING." The ground is a plain concrete sidewalk.

Neal Cassady with cigarette young & vigorous age 29 with salesman surveying North Beach used car lot, he needed new wheels. Bay Area Johnny Appleseed of pot from early 1950’s, he worked as conductor on Southern Pacific Railroad, averted train crash as brakeman years earlier, breaking his ankle, collected insurance, bought his family a ranch-house in Los Gatos down the peninsula, gambled madly & disastrously at horse racetrack, wrote painfully in pencil on his “The First Third” autobiographical manuscript, visited me overnight in rooms on Polk and Montgomery Streets, San Francisco, sometime March 1955.

Allen Ginsberg

1955, printed later

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2009.108.4

Not on view

The image shows a man sitting in a chair. He is positioned slightly sideways, facing the camera with a composed posture. His facial features include a strong jawline, straight nose, and thin lips, with short hair neatly combed back. He is dressed in a dark jacket over a light shirt, with a bowtie visible at his neck. His left hand is resting on the arm of the chair in the foreground. In the background, there is a checkered pattern hanging on the wall, possibly a curtain, and a blank wall on the other side. The photograph has handwritten text at the bottom, including the name "Robert LaVigne" and details written by "Allen Ginsberg."

Robert LaVigne, painter at 1010 Montgomery Street, San Francisco 1955, see Levesque in Desolation Angels, Robert Browning in Big Sur. We all lived on Gough Street, later in Hotel Wentley. He lives & paints in Seattle 1988, great artist.

Allen Ginsberg

1955, printed later

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2009.103.9

Not on view

The photograph shows two men sitting at a diner counter. The man on the left has short, dark hair and is dressed in a suit and tie, while the man on the right has short, light-colored hair and is wearing a collared shirt with a sweater and jacket. In front of them on the counter are some out-of-focus objects, possibly cups or glasses. A bright, artificial light is reflected off the tabletop. The background includes a large mirror reflecting ceiling lights above, as well as partial views of restaurant signs and window-like structures.

Al Sublette, & Peter Orlovsky as I first knew him 1955 S.F.

Allen Ginsberg

1955, printed later

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2011.146.2

Not on view

This is a black-and-white photograph of an urban street scene. The image depicts a group of three people standing on a wide path that stretches uphill into the distance. On the left are two men who shake hands, and on the right is a woman who looks at us, her hands outstretched with her palms up. They all have pale skin, short hair, and wear long dark coats over their clothes. They all appear to be laughing or smiling. In the background, there are buildings, parked cars, and a motorcycle. A chain-link fence runs along either side of the path the people walk on. Lines of handwritten text are seen below the photograph.

Peter Du Peru, Neal Cassady & Natalie Jackson horsing around, maybe Sunday walk, above Broadway Tunnel, Neal playing hookey from his family in Los Gatos. Du Peru, eccentric North Beach remittance man was seen by Kerouac (Desolation Angels) as "Richard de Chili, the Mysterious...with his low-spoken incomprehensible remarks." Natalie bewildered by amphetamine jumped off her roof to death a year late. March 1955.

Allen Ginsberg

1955, printed 1995

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2015.163.41

Not on view

The image shows two men seated at a table. One man is partially visible, with short hair and a checkered shirt. The other man is more visible, seated with his arms on his knees, wearing a light-colored shirt with rolled-up sleeves. In the background, there is a lamp with a patterned shade on a small table, a doorframe, and two decorative plates on the wall. The setting seems to be indoors, possibly a living room.

Neal Cassady and Al Hinckle playing chess, San Jose 1955 (or Gough Street) (S.F.) -- both brakemen on S.P. Railroad.

Allen Ginsberg

1955, printed later

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2016.184.19

Not on view

Henry Schlactner, Kerouac’s friend Al Sublette by Peter Orlovsky. Foster’s Cafeteria S.F. 1955. Me on right.

Allen Ginsberg

1955, printed later

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2009.103.11

Not on view

Natalie Jackson, San Francisco

Allen Ginsberg

1955, printed later

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2015.163.4

Not on view

This is an image of an interior room scene. The room is cluttered with various objects scattered throughout. A bed is prominently featured, along with furniture like a small table with books and a cabinet with items on top. The walls are decorated with artwork, and there is a textured rug on the floor. Light and shadow create depth in the room. Handwritten text along the bottom describes personal anecdotes and details about the space.

My front room 1010 Montgomery Street North Beach apartment wherein I wrote Howl Part I, Peter Orlovsky's room down the hall past the kitchen in back, windows overlooking Telegraph Hill's roofs and Oakland Bay. Robert La Vigne's watercolor portrait of me in army-surplus jacket and Cézanne-like landscape pinned to wall above spittoon-shaped woven basket on mantel, fireplace lit. Bollinger books on shelf, letters and Essays of Ezra Pound under bed-table clock, checkered wool blanket hung over alley window first floor, black-painted bureau with victrola-case & Bach on top. "Blessed be the Muses / for their descent / dancing round my desk / Crowning my balding head / With laurel.” I was living on unemployment checks, San Francisco, Summer 1955.

Allen Ginsberg

1955, printed 1995

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2010.137.26

Not on view

Allen Ginsberg

Robert LaVigne, painter at 1010 Montgomery Street, San Francisco 1955, see Levesque in Desolation Angels, Robert Browning in Big Sur. We all lived on Gough Street, later in Hotel Wentley. He lives & paints in Seattle 1988, great artist.

Robert LaVigne, painter at 1010 Montgomery Street, San Francisco 1955, see Levesque in Desolation Angels, Robert Browning in Big Sur. We all lived on Gough Street, later in Hotel Wentley. He lives & paints in Seattle 1988, great artist.

Al Sublette, & Peter Orlovsky as I first knew him 1955 S.F.

Al Sublette, & Peter Orlovsky as I first knew him 1955 S.F.

Neal Cassady and Al Hinckle playing chess, San Jose 1955 (or Gough Street) (S.F.) -- both brakemen on S.P. Railroad.

Neal Cassady and Al Hinckle playing chess, San Jose 1955 (or Gough Street) (S.F.) -- both brakemen on S.P. Railroad.

Henry Schlactner, Kerouac’s friend Al Sublette by Peter Orlovsky. Foster’s Cafeteria S.F. 1955. Me on right.

Henry Schlactner, Kerouac’s friend Al Sublette by Peter Orlovsky. Foster’s Cafeteria S.F. 1955. Me on right.

Natalie Jackson, San Francisco

Natalie Jackson, San Francisco

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Allen Ginsberg

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