A portfolio of unseen Beatles photos has sold for £250,000 at an auction

Pieces of The Beatles’ history signify important chapters in the development of the monolithic rock and pop industry that came to be. Although the band’s career has been documented in multiple avenues, new reveals that present behind the scenes action, unravelling the mystique of the world’s biggest band.

Now, a portfolio of previously unseen photographs of the band performing in Washington DC and Baltimore in 1964 have been revealed, taken by Mike Mitchell, who at the time was just 18.

The Guardian have reported that 413 negatives were sold for £253,2000 at auction, only 46 of which had been seen before.

The teen became inspired to shoot the group after witnessing their world-changing Ed Sullivan performance in February 1964, saying  “I was very motivated to come up with stuff that was as unique as could possibly be.”

Mitchell also detailed that he couldn’t afford to shoot in flash, and shot the band as he arrived at the Washington Coliseum using natural light to capture the fab four. He also managed to get onstage with the band in Baltimore to get a better view.

“I looked and noticed that nobody was up on the stage. I thought I wonder what it would be like to be up on the stage and see what I could get up there.”

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.