Photograph Signed

London: np, 1963. First edition. Very Good. Vintage 8x10 glossy photograph by Dezo Hoffmann from 1963, SIGNED BY ALL FOUR BEATLES. The image is one of several taken by the Czech-born photographer Dezo Hoffmann on July 2, 1963 – the day after the band recorded She Loves You / I’ll Get You. Hoffmann met The Beatles in 1962 and, as the first professional photographer they hired, played a pivotal role in documenting their early years. Hoffmann preferred photographs that showed the members of the band in candid, spontaneous, or unguarded moments, both on and off the stage, and consequently his photos made the public feel like they connected with and (truncated) knew the band on a more intimate level. His timing was perfect: he helped shape the image of The Beatles just as their popularity began to grow.

In this photo, The Beatles are posing together in the gardens of London’s Russell Square. It is signed on the back “To Carol, love” and then the signatures of the band members in full: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon, and Ringo Star. (The “To Carol, love” appears to be in McCartney’s hand.) The McCartney, Harrison, and Lennon signatures are very strong, in deep black ink, while Ringo Starr’s signature (signed with a different pen) has faded (but is still legible).

Size: 8x10 inches. London: 1963. Some light creases, visible mainly in raking light; Ringo signature with fading (as noted above). Housed in custom presentation folder. A important signed image at a critical moment in the history of The Beatles. (Inventory #: 2916)