Two of photographer Iain Macmillan’s outtakes for the cover of the Beatles’ Abbey Road album will appear in Heritage Auction’s October 11 sale.
The prints were produced in the 1990s. They’re marked 10 of an edition of 25.
The photo shoot for the Beatles' Abbey Road took just 10 minutes
The shoot began at 11:30 on the morning of August 8, 1969 and took just 10 minutes.
Macmillan put up a step ladder in front of the crossing and captured the group walking in step from left to right several times.
Then they went back into the studio to carry on recording.
Macmillan explained to the Guardian in 1989: “The one eventually chosen for the cover was number five of six.
“It was the only one that had their legs in a perfect 'V' formation, which is what I wanted stylistically...
“I think the reason it became so popular is its simplicity. It's a very simple, stylised shot. Also it's a shot people can relate to. It's a place where people can still walk.”
As an interesting aside Macmillan and a local policeman tried to move the VW Beetle to the left of the frame, but couldn’t so had to leave it in.
The car sold for £2,530 ($3,422) at auction in 1986. It’s now on display at the VW Museum in Wolfsburg, Germany.
These two prints are offered as a single lot, with an estimate of $15,000-20,000.
Complete sets have sold for as much as £180,000 ($243,000).
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