When Ginnie Love, a friend of Prince's, was pondering what to do with a cache of photos she snapped years ago at Paisley Park, she knew she could sell or donate them to a number of places.
News that Wendy Biorn, the Carver County Historical Society's executive director, had carefully removed and cataloged items that mourning fans had left at the fence around Paisley Park, convinced Love that the photos belonged with the historical society.
"I felt like they need to go home," said Love, who met Prince in 2004 through the New Power Generation music club website. "These need to be somewhere where some kid can see them."
The 18 photos, snapped during Love's visits between 2004 and 2006, have no people in them and seem to capture everyday life at Prince's home. In one, a pool table with purple felt and clear glass balls sits ready for a game. Others feature a periwinkle towel embroidered with the symbol Prince had adopted in his battle with Warner Bros. Records. Another shows four guitars lined up atop an amplifier.
Prince died in April 2016 from an accidental overdose of painkillers.
Love, who said she's still dealing with his loss, wants the public to see the photos where he had lived. Prince wanted everything to be as local as possible, Love recalled, and supported local artists and record stores.
Biorn said the photos are important because so few cameras were allowed in Paisley Park. She said she may frame them all.
"This will make [the photos] accessible to everybody, forever," Biorn said. "We have been around 76 years and hope to be around 750 more."
