of social hipdom, carousing with Andy Warhol's milieu; that he'd had a serious alcohol problem, which, likely in tandem with other factors, led to his ultimate unraveling.

Enlarge this image toggle caption Jack Robinson Archive Jack Robinson Archive

Ever since Robinson's 1997 death, Oppenheimer has been piecing together the photographer's life — cataloging and publicizing the photos, managing what is now the Jack Robinson Archive. And after more than a decade, a preview of Robinson's work can be seen in the book Jack Robinson On Show: Portraits 1958-72.

The introduction gives more context. Robinson was convinced by an art dealer to leave the bohemia of New Orleans, where he had moved for college, to pursue a photography career in New York. After some time, he got a foot in the doorof Vogue, where "his skill as a portraitist attracted many renowned sitters," the introduction reads. It continues:

Most of his shots are direct, unfussy, and very rarely furnished with props, the exceptions often being instruments — Elton John's Piano, Joni Mitchell's guitar. There is an explorative sensitivity in his work, which could be a consequence of his sexuality. ... Warren Beatty, then the most celebrated of Hollywood womanizers, becomes in black leathers a gay icon, and when revealed donning his neckwear, a narcissistic fop.

The career lasted 17 years before Robinson came undone and moved to Memphis. There, he sobered up and took a job as a stained-glass designer. By the time Oppenheimer met him, New York City and photography and alcoholism had all been buried in the past. And