This photograph of Richard and Karen Carpenter seems like one that has been used for their Lovelines disc in 1989. But look again. This one has a shot of Karen without a smile. Although it is a very nice shot, she looks much, much older than 30 or 31 when this photo was taken. By this point in time, anorexia had taken its toll on the much loved woman with the golden voice. There's a wedding ring, but her marriage to Tom Burris was not the great hit he promised it would be.
Photographer Norman Seef captured them at an interesting time in their careers and in their personal life.
As seen at the top of this article, the serious pose seems even more pronounced when viewed in black and white. Karen is looking into our souls even if we appear to be gazing right into hers. Richard is contemplative. It's a stark contrast to their sunny All-American image.
With 1981's lackluster sales and airplay of their comeback album Made in America, the duo was forging ahead. Something would connect for Carpenters. They'd had too many hits and too much of a worldwide fan base for it not to. But time was not on Karen's side...
(Photograph by Norman Seeff.)
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