A collage used for the insert in The Beatles‘ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ album has fetched more than £50,000 at auction.
The collage featured on the 1967 album, the band’s eighth record, and shows Sergeant Pepper along with the four Beatles. Copies of it were inserted in the record for fans to cut out and keep.
The collage was owned by architect Colin St John Wilson. It was given to his wife by the artist Sir Peter Blake – who designed the album’s artwork along with Jann Haworth – not long after it was finished and is inscribed with the note, “For M.J. from Peter and Jann”, the BBC reports.
It was sold for £55,250 at a sale at London auction house Sotheby’s. James Rawlin, Sotheby’s senior specialist in modern British paintings, said: “Sergeant Pepper’s had a huge impact on the cultural landscape – it was the first concept album, when music, story, image and studio expertise all came together,” he said.
Yesterday (November 14), it was announced that Abbey Road Studios – where The Beatles recorded their 11th studio album of the same name – is set to open its doors to the public.
The North London recording studio will be hosting talks in the iconic Studio Two, which was famously used by The Beatles, as well as by Kate Bush, Pink Floyd, Adele and Oasis.