Prince Presents: The Sacrifice of Victor

Terry Gydesen & Prince

Church if you will, please turn to the book of Victor

Prince Presents: The Sacrifice of Victor is the inaugural official book release by Prince, and published under his company Paisley Park Enterprises. The book is comprised of 52 black and white images capturing a pictorial journey of Prince on the road during his US Act I Tour of 1993.

The photography is by Terry Gydesen who documented the 1988 Presidential Campaign of Jesse Jackson. She was hired as the staff photographer for the Act I Tour, to capture life on the road. Prince Presents: The Sacrifice of Victor is in essence a coffee table book, however the pictures are candid and each image includes a caption written by Prince. The book begins with the lyrics of the song of the same name. The images capture Prince back stage on tour, taking soundchecks, on the tour bus, and performing his aftershows. The decision to take only black and white images for the book was based on having sent Prince her portfolio with monochrome images and on that bases packed black and white rolls for the month long assignment.

Prince Presents: The Sacrifice of Victor was published during the Come album era – one of these photos being chosen for that album’s cover – therefore its black and white photography influences the dark tone of that album’s artwork, to mark the death of “Prince” and to document his “last tour”. The book also notes that on completion of this tour he changed his name to The Artist Formally Known As Prince (Prince Love Symbol). Due to the contractual dispute between Prince and Warner Bros Records over their ownership of his music, Prince was exploring alternative creative avenues at that time.

Data

Authors

Terry Gydesen & Prince

Publisher

Paisley Park Enterprises

Released

1 June 1994

Format

Paperback

ISBN

978-0967850115