All diehard Beatles fans know about the Fab Four’s last recording together (Abbey Road) and their last record release together (Let It Be). But what about their last photoshoot together? It might seem frivolous to some. However, The Beatles were almost as famous for their image as they were for their groundbreaking music. Beatlemania was the result of a cult of celebrity, no matter how you look at it. Their image was a big part of that. 

With that in mind, The Beatles’ final photoshoot together as a band is something quite memorable. That very photoshoot took place on this day in 1969 on John Lennon’s property in Tittenhurst Park. The photos are beautiful time capsule pieces, and everyone is dressed quite fabulously, I must say. However, the photographer behind the shoot later said that it was far from a pleasant affair.

The Beatles’ Last Photoshoot Together Was an Intimate Affair at John Lennon’s Home

The Beatles’ final photoshoot as a band took place on August 22, 1969, at John Lennon’s home in Tittenhurst Park, located in Sunninghill, England. Most of the photos were shot on the property lawn.

The photos from this photoshoot were used for the band’s compilation album, Hey Jude, in 1970. The album served as a buffer of sorts, as Let It Be had been delayed. Fun fact: Music executive Neil Aspinall said that the album’s back cover was supposed to be the record’s front cover, but The Beatles’ controversial later-career manager, Allen Klein, had accidentally reversed them.

While the photos are quite gorgeous (you can view the shots from the photoshoot here), it’s unmistakable that The Beatles were really done by the time these photos were taken. Even the photographer of the session, Ethan Russell, had a lot to say about what that fateful final photoshoot was like.

“George Harrison was miserable from frame one to frame 500,” said Russell in an interview with The Guardian. “He was so over it. I don’t think he did anything but scowl for three hours. […] Paul [McCartney] was trying to hold it together. He had his arms crossed like, ‘Come on, lads!’ But the concept of The Beatles just didn’t sync with who they were anymore. I could have asked them to smile, but it would have been totally fake, and I’m glad I didn’t. This marriage had come to an end – and boy does it show.”

In a way, these photos truly marked the end of an era.

Photo by Roy Cummings/THA/Shutterstock