Unpublished Beatles photos go on show
The 40th anniversary of the Beatles first tour of the United States is being celebrated with an exhibition of black and white photographs which organisers say have not been published before.
“The Beatles! Backstage and Behind the Scenes” is a photo exhibition which opened today at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington.
It features more than 80 never-before-published black-and-white images from CBS archives and Life photographer Bill Eppridge.
The Beatles made their US debut in February 1964 with live performances on television’s The Ed Sullivan Show in New York and Miami.
Many of the photos highlight the Beatles’ iconic look, with their boyish moptop haircuts and identical dark suits.
They are seen making faces for television cameras, cavorting on a Miami beach near adoring fans and rehearsing informally in tight shorts.
“It shows how innocent they were,” said Vickie Rehberg of ArtVisions, which organised the exhibition. “There was no posing here.”
Indeed, the Beatles’ playful spirit energised young Americans during an age of growing uncertainty, with the country still recovering from the assassination of John F. Kennedy and then-President Lyndon Johnson stepping up the US military presence in Vietnam.
One photo features well-groomed and conservatively dressed women enthralled at a Beatles concert at the Washington Coliseum on February 12, 1964.
Another striking photo shows throngs of fans on the tarmac at Idlewild (now JFK) Airport in New York City, waiting for the Beatles to arrive from London.
As one woman screams in anticipation, another stands ready with a sign reading, “We love you, please stay forever”.
The exhibit will be on view at the Smithsonian until July 5.
