Lost photographs of The Beatles set for exhibition in London

The Beatles by Lord Christopher Thynne
(Image credit: Lord Christopher Thynne)

Lost photographs of The Beatles, taken on the set of the band's debut film A Hard Day's Night, have been rediscovered and will be exhibited and sold at an exhibition in London, England in December. 

The images were taken by Lord Christopher Thynne, colorful son of the 6th Marquess of Bath and former proprietor of the UK's famed Longleat Safari Park. Shot on medium format in the spring of 1964, following the band's first US tour, the photos depict all four members of The Beatles at Les Ambassadeurs Club in Mayfair as well as on the platform at Marylebone Station. 

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On the brink of the band's 1964 World Tour and at the height of 'Beatlemania', John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison featured in A Hard Day's Night – a musical comedy that profiled the band's 36 hours in preparation for a performance on television. 

Lord Thynne – a wild child famous for his cowboy fashion sense and being arrested at Heathrow with a suitcase full of speed before his honeymoon – had just been ousted from his position at Longleat by his elder brother. 

(Image credit: Lord Christopher Thynne)

A well connected photographer, he was invited to the film's set where he spent two days capturing candid and posed shots of the band at the peak of its popularity. Thynne sadly passed away in 2017, but these previously lost images have been redeveloped 57 years later and will be exhibited at the Shapero Modern gallery in Mayfair, London.

"It's an amazing opportunity to see a rare collection of important, never-seen-before images," said gallery director, Tabitha Philpott-Kent. 

A strictly limited run of 35 prints of each image will also be on sale, priced £400-£650 (approximately $534-867 / AU$749-1,217), for a limited time. 

The free exhibition will run from Saturday 09 December 2021 to Sunday 16 January 2022 at Shapero Modern, 41-43 Maddox Street, London, W1S 2PD. For more information, visit the gallery's website

Read more: 

How to photograph live music
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James Artaius
Editor

The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-Photo: The Nikon MagazineDigital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.