Andy Warhol's "Factory People" Photo Gallery
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Andy, Brillo, and cat "Ruby" in the Sixties Silver Factory
In the early Sixties, Andy had met Billy Name, and went to a party at his apartment on the lower east side. The apartment had been done entirely in silver foil, silver paint, silver everything. Andy loved it, and asked Billy to do the same for his new workspace/loft. That was at the end of 1963...the beginning of the Silver Factory era.
NOTE: This photo and all others are by Billy Name unless otherwise noted as such.
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Andy with Nico of the Velvet Underground
A lot of people have said that the reason Andy chose Nico to join the Velvet Underground is that she reflected his ideal self.
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Andy tapes Brigid Berlin
Brigid was probably Andy's favorite muse. When he wasn't busy taping her thoughts he'd be on the phone with her, night and day. Brigid was a speed freak and a very talented photographer. She introduced Andy to the Polaroid camera, somethng else new and instant for Andy to play with.
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Andy and his Bananna
Yes, there were the parties, the screen tests, and the movies; but there was also to painting. The Silver Factory era was probably Andy's most prolific period of making art.
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Andy, Fred, Ondine and Viva ride the bus to Bickford's
Andy would get hungry like anybody else. One of his favorite "rides" was to take the bus to Bickford's, a 24 hour diner. He usually only went out late at night with some "Factory People" in tow.
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Andy filming "25 Hour Movie"
In the middle sixties Andy practically abandoned painting to pursue his love of filmmaking. His films were really different. They were mostly unscripted, based on one simple idea. The "Factory People" who acted in them made up the impromptu dialogue as the film rolled through the camera.
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Andy filming "Nude Reastaurant" with Taylor and Viva
Taylor Mead was an established undergrounf film star when he first met Andy. He was always complaining about not getting paid for his work. Viva was called the "Lucille Ball of underground films. She was nutty...and beautiful. She did a lot of complaining too!
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Dylan sits for his filmed "screentest"
Bob Dylan knew of Andy and Andy knew of Bob. When they finally met, they both wanted something from each other. What they each got was certainly not what they bargained for.
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Andy alone in the Silver Factory
Andy's loft/workspace took up about 3,000 square feet. Part of the space was for painting, part for filmmaking, part for hanging out.
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Edie Sedgewick sits for her "Screentest"
Edie was probably Andy's most famous "Girl of the Year" Superstar ( a term coined by Andy). Her beauty and behaviour blew everybody away. She did a lot of movies for Andy. Some say she had and affair with Bob Dylan, and left Andy and the "Factory People" to do Bob's bidding. She really left because of drugs. She was stoned all of the time, and eventually she died of an overdose.
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Andy on the town with Ondine
Ondine was a gay underground actor who became one of Andy's most important friends and influencers in the sixties. As a major player in the "Factory People" entourage, he kept everybody constantly in stitches. His appearance in "Chelsea Girls" as "the Pope" was probably his crowning glory. He died of an overdose too.
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Gerard in the Silver Factory
Gerard Malanga was an aspiring young poet when he went to work for Andy as his silk screening/painting assistant after graduating from college. He turned Andy on to most of the Superstars who became "Factory People", and he appeared in many of Andy's films. Gerard was straight and slept with most of the girls he brought to the Factory.
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Billy with Jackie Paintings
Billy Name, a dancer/lighting designer, probably played one of the most important roles in the "Factory People" entourage. He was the "gate keeper" of the Factory, and he became the official house photographer shooting over 5000 photos of the Silver Factory era. He was the only person who ever actually lived there. After Andy was shot in '68 he left the Factory. Years later he was back in New York and attended Andy's funeral. At the funeral, Paul Morrissey told him that Andy had saved Billy's silver trunk for him. Inside it were 5000 photo negatives, among other things.
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Uultra Violet and Viva in "Tub Girls"
Uultra Violet was going out with Salvador Dali when she first met Andy. She was from a very rich French family, and bought many of Andy's paintings. One day she went to the Silver Factory to be in a movie. She was like a lot of the other Superstars who fell in love with Andy and thought they could "change" him. No chance of that.
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David and "International Velvet" at a party
Schoolboy David Croland was 17 when he first met Andy. He met and fell in love with Susan Bottomly (aka Warhol Superstar, International Velvet) at the Factory. They appeared in some movies together and Andy loved them both. One day Andy gave David a Marylin painting which was stolen shortly thereafter. The last Marylin that went on sale went for $24,000,000!
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Ivy Nicholson poses in the Silver Factory
Ivy was a successful top model and cover girl when she met Andy. She made a great Superstar and enveloped herself in Factory life. She too fell in love with Andy and was convinced that he would "change" and marry her. She even went so far as to post marriage bans in the New York Post. When it bacame clear that she was getting "out of control" , Billy threw her out of the Factory. She left something behind that is normally done in the toilet.
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Allan and Susan in Warhol's "Kiss"
Allen Midgette was one of the the only bonafide film actors that Andy ever worked with. Incredibly handsome, he added a real sense of professionalism to Warhol's films, and he appeared in more of them than any of the other male star "Factory People". Towards the end of the Silver era, he went on the road for Andy pretending to be Andy, but that's another story.
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Mary Woronov in "Chelsea Girls"
Mary was brought to the Factory by Gerard. They were best friends. She loved Billy and Ondine too. Andy made her a Superstar and she went on to become a real cult star in Hollywood after the Silver Factory era.
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Andy, Nico, Gerard, and the Velvet Underground
Gerard introduced Andy to the Velvet Underground at a club in the Village. Two days later they were practicing in the Silver Factory. Andy wanted them to have a female lead singer, Nico. They agreed. Their first performance was at a convention of psychriasts in Manhattan. Andy did his best to produce and manage them but in the end it was sort of a disaster for him. You could say he discovered the Velvets, but the Velvets were bound to be discovered one way or another.
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Bibbe Hansen and Edie in "Jail"
Bibbe was 14 when she first met Andy she had just been released from juvenile detention. Andy was delighted with her story and decided to make a movie called "Jail". Bibbe's dad was the "happenings" artist Al Hansen and he knew Andy well. One day Bibbe went into the kitchen at home to find some lunch. All that she could find were a few cans of Campbell's Soup. She opened one and warmed it up. The label had been signed by Andy. Her father was furious! The soup tasted good.
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Louis Waldon and Taylor at Max's Kansas City
Louis was a Broadway stage star. He lived at the YMCA and met Taylor there. Taylor took him to the Silver Factory and Andy asked him to be in a movie. The fact that there was never any script was frustrating to Louis. Andy wanted to pay him with paintings, but Louis insisted on $200 per filmed performance. Louis and Viva did the last movie that Andy directed called San Diego surf. It was never released. Too bad Louis, you should have taken the art.
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Jackie Curtis poses in Times Square
Jackie was a drag queen and playwright who posessed a great deal of acting, singing and stage talent. In the late 60's Andy decided that women Superstars were not as glamourous as drag queens so he started using them in his movies. Jackie died of an overdose shortly after the Silver Factory era.
photo by Leee Black Childers
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Andy and Paul Morrissey on the road
Paul Morrissey had been introduced to Andy by Gerard. Andy needed a new technical guy who could do sound for his films and Paul fit the bill. Paul went on to become a directing talent in his own right doing Flesh, Trash, and Heat under the Warhol banner after Andy was shot and the Silver Factory era had ended.
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