Arts
From Baldwin to Trump, JP’s Farrington Photographs Celebrities
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When VH1 needed photos for its 2010 book about John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Double Fantasy” album, they knew who to call. Jamaica Plain photographer Roger Farrington, at Ono’s request, shot the making of what would be Lennon’s final studio album in the summer of 1980. A veteran photographer, Jamaica Plain’s Farrington has captured cultural events in Boston for more than 40 years, and after opening his archives to friend and Panopticon Gallery owner Jason Landry, the two discovered a theme: celebrity. A year and a half later, the pair debuted 50 handpicked black and white images at the Panopticon on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston this January to a crowd of about 100. The exhibit, on display through April 10, feels nostalgic for both the celebrities and the city of Boston -- recalling a time when Jordan Marsh hadn’t yet sold to Macy’s, Christopher Reeve looked the epitome of Superman, and real estate moguls were focused on building hotels rather than walls.