Photographs by the late Linda McCartney, donated by her husband, Paul, at Kelvingrove Art Gallery, on October 10, 2019, in Glasgow, Scotland. Photo by Bill Murray / SNS Group.
Photographs by the late Linda McCartney, donated by her husband, Paul, at Kelvingrove Art Gallery, on October 10, 2019, in Glasgow, Scotland. Photo by Bill Murray / SNS Group.

On the heels of the first UK presentation of a retrospective dedicated to the photographs of Linda McCartney at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Paul McCartney, her widower, has generously gifted a set of limited-edition photos to the Glasgow Museums.

The show has been enthusiastically received not only for the intimate look it offers into the lives of world-renown rock stars like Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger, but also for the skill of the photographer herself, who at times was overshadowed by her husband. Paul is hoping to rectify that now with this show, which he helped organize with his daughters, Stella and Mary, and through this gift to the UK-based museum.

Linda was a professional photographer who turned her lens to the rollicking counter-culture of the 1960s, her friends and family, as well as her love of the outdoors and animals. In 1968, she made history as the first female photographer to have her work on the cover of Rolling Stone, with an iconic image of Eric Clapton. Less than a decade later, she and Paul appeared on the magazine’s cover as newlyweds, and she became the first person to have shot the magazine’s cover and to have appeared on it.

The gift includes 14 photographs, three of which were shot in Scotland, making it an even sweeter deal. See select works below.

“The Linda McCartney Retrospective” is on view through January 12, 2020, at the Kelvington Art Gallery and Museum. The images donated by Paul McCartney will be available to view on request at the Glasgow Museums Resource Center. 

Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney. © Paul McCartney/ Photographer: Linda McCartney, courtesy of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Linda McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, Blue. © Paul McCartney/ Photographer: Linda McCartney, courtesy of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Linda McCartney, Mick Jagger. © Paul McCartney/ Photographer: Linda McCartney, courtesy of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Linda McCartney, Cinnamon. © Paul McCartney/ Photographer: Linda McCartney, courtesy of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.