Photographs of The Beatles' first ever US concert are going up for sale.
Two days after their momentous US debut in 1964 on The Ed Sullivan Show, the Fab Four boarded a train from New York for Washington, DC, for their first US concert. An enterprising 18-year-old Mike Mitchell was there, a press pass in hand, shooting photographs just feet away and even jumping onto the stage for the group's brief pre-concert press call.
Forty-seven years later, Mike has made 50 silver gelatin prints from his negatives of the event and the Beatles' September 3, 1964, performance at the Baltimore Civic Centre. He is offering them for sale at Christie's New York auction house on July 20. The total pre-sale estimate is 100,000 US dollars; the images will be sold individually.
"It was a long time ago. Things weren't that way then," the 65-year-old said. "It was as low-tech as the concert itself. The concert was in a sports venue and the sound system was the sound system of a sports venue."
The batch of prints, showing the Beatles in their early signature mop hair, suit and ties, also will have a nearly invisible "secret moniker" that will not be used for any other of his images.
The photographs will be displayed at Christie's London galleries on June 11-12, and then at several other London venues before being shown July 11-20 at Christie's New York prior to the auction.
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