Photographs of The Smiths
Stephen Wright photography
Photographs of The Smiths and other iconic musicians, including Prince, Miles Davis, James Brown, U2, Public Image Ltd / John Lydon, Madonna and more.
Available as photographic prints in various sizes, signed by Stephen and shipped worldwide.
Buy signed prints“Stephen Wright’s photograph, used for the inside gatefold of The Queen Is Dead, clinches the prize for the most famous image of the Smiths”
The Guardian
The Smiths / Music
Prints and image use
Every print, web, social media, broadcast, film or video use requires permission and a fee, subject to the non-commercial fan use described on the Use photos page.
Smiths fans at Salford Lads Club
Stephen Wright photographed The Smiths live across 1984–87. He photographed them at several concerts, which led to the session at Salford Lads Club in November 1985. He photographed them there for The Queen Is Dead album sleeve and later shot the sign for the back sleeve of Strangeways, Here We Come. He sells photographs of The Smiths and other iconic musicians. These photographs have been used many times in magazines, newspapers and books. The album sleeve photograph from The Queen Is Dead is in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery in London, Manchester Art Gallery and Salford Art Gallery.
Luckily I was the only photographer there at Salford Lads Club! I was assisted by the charming George Pace.
Over the past 40 years, thousands of fans have made the pilgrimage to Salford Lads Club to recreate the photo outside the red brick Edwardian building. Over 20 years ago the lovely Leslie Holmes set up the Smiths room at Salford Lads Club, and it’s marvellous that the club has benefited from all his hard work to establish this mecca for Smiths fans.
In 1985 when we went to the club it was shut. Twenty years later I was allowed inside for the first time. I started working with the club on charity fundraising events and was made an honorary member in 2015.
Just before Christmas 2015, the club launched a promotional T-shirt bearing the famous image, which raised some £70,000 in a year. I gave an image from the session to Salford Lads Club to raise funds for a trip for its teenagers to visit Native Indians in South Dakota.