All of the chatter today about Madonna’s half time performance at the Super Bowl- the differing opinions on whether she is still hot or not, still relevant at 53, blah blah- made me think of some photos taken by Richard Corman I recently stumbled upon. The photo series was taken in NYC’s East Village in 1982, a bit before Madonna was about to blow up as a pop artist. I was really taken by these photos, as Corman captured a Madonna I don’t think I have seen before. There’s a surprising ‘fresh faced innocence’ in these images, as well as a sense of authentic presence and humble existence- even though her unique style is well on it’s way. I can’t help also to mention a stunning natural beauty that seemed to take a back seat to elaborate image building once fame came around. The photos made me aware of Richard Corman and his imagery, and while his body of work has expanded exponentially with a broad and prestigious cast of subjects since the Madonna photo session 30 years ago, I have to say I love these photos the most. Also adore the idea of these two unknowns climbing around in the East Village on a Summer day in 1982 snapping these photos while having no idea the history that was about to be made. See more photos from this series on Richard Corman’s site. There’s much more there and definitely worth a look.

...And for what it’s worth, I think Madonna rocked it at the Super Bowl. We could all be so lucky looking hot in Givenchy at 53 and doing what we love the most. She is an inspiration. Seriously.