Prince Taking Some Mirror Selfies, 1978

Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), known simply as Prince, captured a series of selfies in the bathroom mirror of 2810 Montcalm Avenue in Los Angeles, where he was staying in January 1978. One of the images became the cover of his memoir, The Beautiful Ones, and alternate takes from this session are included inside.

“I took this picture of the heater and I, in the bathroom mirror,” Prince wrote. This turned out to be part of a more extensive photo shoot he’d undertaken alone in the bathroom, wearing red leggings, cutoff jeans, and, occasionally, a fake hand. (“If you understand my color, put your hand in your crotch,” he would later sing on “Purple Music.”)