The Beatles are a band destined to be remembered in black and white. Dressed in their dark fitted suits, performing behind perfectly monochromatic instruments, John, Paul, George and Ringo are best captured in two very specific segments of the color spectrum.
We haven't asked him, but we think photographer Mike Mitchell would agree. He's responsible for a series of black-and-white snapshots of the Beatles taken during a memorable Washington, D.C. performance in 1964. The images were captured two days after their iconic appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, when Mitchell was a mere 18-year-old, press-pass wielding photographer.
The series of rare photos, taken without a flash, are beautifully grainy portraits of the band's early days. Dripping with light, they encapsulate the crisp, energetic tone of a day nearly five decades ago. “You cannot forget 8,000 screaming girls,” Mitchell recounted in an interview with Reuters. “It was like the birth of my generation.”
Mitchell's photos are headed to the Annual DFA Photography Invitational at David Anthony Fine Art on August 2, but until then, you can view a sneak peek of the exhibition here. Scroll through the Beatles shots and let us know your thoughts on the impressive photos in the comments.
CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this post we incorrectly stated that the D.C. performance took place two days before the Ed Sullivan appearance when in fact the performance took place two days after. We regret the error.