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In September 2021, Seattle photographer Charles Peterson put 11 images from his rock-photography archive up for sale as NFTs on OpenSea. Curated by Seattle-based Phosphene, the collection, “Charles Peterson Grunge Years,” turned scanned and retouched photographs—including images of Nirvana—into digital PNG works. Peterson said he wanted to bring out grunge’s humor and lightheartedness, not only its familiar mythology of tragedy and rock excess.
What Peterson released in 2021
GeekWire reported that the collection went on OpenSea on September 1, 2021, and described it as Peterson’s first NFT drop. The images came from his archive of Nirvana and other Pacific Northwest bands, including Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney. Some of the photographs dated back roughly 30 years.
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The NFTs were PNG files made from scanned negatives and retouched by Peterson. According to the report, 10 images were offered as one-off works; the remaining item was an edition of 10 featuring a 1990 Nirvana proof sheet photographed in Seattle. It shows Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Chad Channing.
“Phone” and the reported auction
GeekWire’s September 1 update said the first auction had ended the previous day. The winning bid for “Phone,” a 1993 photograph of Cobain holding a large mobile phone, was 3 ETH—about $11,000 at the time, according to the report. Those are figures from that 2021 auction, not a current valuation or indication that the work remains available.
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Why Peterson chose these photographs
Peterson grouped the collection around what he called “insouciants”: people he saw as irreverent, funny, smart, and driven. He said he wanted to recover the lightheartedness and humor he associated with early grunge, rather than present the period only through its tragic or grand-rock narratives. As he put it, “Humor to me can often cut through and show someone’s real personality.”
He also said most of the selected images had not circulated widely and were not what he considered his greatest hits. That was Peterson’s own description of his choices, not an independent ranking of his archive. His move into NFTs followed an initial uncertainty about the format: “I just couldn’t get a handle on what it means and the technicalities of it.” He nevertheless decided to try it, saying, “It could be a bust, it could be amazing. But you don’t know unless you try.”
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How the NFTs differed from Peterson’s print business
The digital release sat alongside a separate business Peterson described in 2021: selling physical photographic prints and licensing images. GeekWire reported that his website then had no digital shopping cart, so prospective print buyers contacted him by email. The article gave print sizes from 8½ by 11 inches to 44 by 66 inches and said he might make eight to twelve prints in a month. These are historical figures from the 2021 report, not current production information.
| What the 2021 report described | NFT collection | Physical prints |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Digital PNGs made from scanned negatives and retouched by Peterson | Physical photographic prints |
| How they were offered | On OpenSea in the “Charles Peterson Grunge Years” collection | Buyers contacted Peterson by email; his website then had no shopping cart |
| Edition or size details | 10 one-offs and an edition of 10 of a 1990 Nirvana proof sheet | Reported sizes ran from 8½ by 11 inches to 44 by 66 inches |
The report does not establish that buying an NFT conveyed copyright or reproduction rights, or that a buyer received a physical print. Nor does it give enough information to compare the NFT and print offerings on licensing terms or current prices. The two formats should not be treated as interchangeable.
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Who organized the release
Phosphene, the Seattle-based curator of the collection, was started by Kirsten Anderson, owner of the Seattle gallery Roq La Rue, and Art Min, a technology veteran and investor who had previously been vice president of impact for Vulcan, according to GeekWire. Anderson described the platform as a way to show work by artists who had previously been limited to the physical realm.
Min told GeekWire that Phosphene was working through its business model and technology choices. He also said it was purchasing carbon-offset credits in response to concerns about blockchain-related emissions. Those statements describe the founders’ account in 2021; they do not establish Phosphene’s current operations or independently measure the environmental impact of the collection.
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What is—and is not—known about availability now
The 2021 account documents the initial release and its first reported auction, but it does not say whether the collection, Phosphene, or any OpenSea listings remain active. It also does not verify whether Peterson’s prints are currently available. The reported first auction and print-selling arrangements should therefore be read as part of the event’s history, not as current offers.
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