The Beatles are photographed by Richard Avedon

The Beatles were photographed by Richard Avedon on this day. The shoot took place at a photographic studio in a penthouse in Thompson House, 200 Gray’s Inn Road, London.

The American photographer took a number of shots of the group, four of which were later adorned with psychedelic effects. They were first published in the 9 January 1968 edition of the US magazine Look, and were subsequently sold as posters.

In the UK they first appears in the Daily Express newspaper, in February 1968. Readers were given the chance to buy enlargements of the set, along with a special Beatles poster.

The following image is a colour proof of the photographs, prepared for the edition of Look magazine.

Collection of colour separation proofs for Richard Avedon's psychedelic portraits of The Beatles for Look magazine, 1968

Avedon’s portraits later appeared on the 1977 compilation Love Songs, and on the 2000 hits album 1.

The Beatles visited Thompson House on another occasion. It was the first stop on the 28 July 1968 session which later became known as the Mad Day Out.

Last updated: 8 July 2022
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