Saltz on the photographic icon/idol

In the Voice, Jerry Saltz muses over the impact of iconic photography on cementing artistic reputations.

At their best, photographs of artists can be totemic: They establish status within the tribe, produce value, dazzle with allure, and manufacture myth...

There is a particular power about images of famous people taken before they became generally known. The image becomes a special sort of time machine, taking you back to a version of a person you know, yet you don't know.