A rare archive of photos and memorabilia giving an extraordinary insight into the birth of The Beatles is expected to fetch millions of pounds.

Auction houses are vying to acquire the collection of over 600 images and letters from the estate of Stuart Sutcliffe, the band’s original bass player, dubbed the lost Beatle. Items include photos of the early group, with Stuart and his best pal John Lennon.

Stuart left the band in 1961 to pursue a career as a painter, leading to guitarist Paul McCartney taking over on bass. An extensive portfolio of Stuart’s artwork is also being offered by the Sutcliffe Estate, showing the flair that made him the brains behind the band’s style, name and early music.
Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon with arms around each other in a Hamburg Bar (1961) Credit: The Stuart Sutcliffe Estate. (
Image:
Courtesy of Pauline Sutcliffe/Su)
Stuart Sutcliffe stands with some of his art just before he dies of a Cerebral Hemorrhage in Hamburg (1962) Credit: The Stuart Sutcliffe Estate. (
Image:
Courtesy of Pauline Sutcliffe/Su)

His archive helps tell of his integral role in the Liverpool group, his rivalry with bandmates Paul and George Harrison, and his intense relationship with John. Stuart and John met at Liverpool College of Art in 1958. John invited Stuart to buy a bass and join his band. He did so in 1960.

Stuart’s younger sister Pauline was 14 when she first saw The Beatles perform at a local town hall. She once said: “I felt my nerves were plugged into an electricity outlet. My brother had made it, they all had, they were fresh and full of energy... Stuart wanted more than most. He loved and lived life.”
Stuart Sutcliffe stares at John Lennon as they play onstage in Hamburg Germany (1961) Credit: The Stuart Sutcliffe Estate. (
Image:
Courtesy of Pauline Sutcliffe/Su)

Stuart’s decision to leave the band and devote himself to art and lover Astrid Kirchherr distressed John. Stuart died aged 21 in 1962 in Hamburg of a brain haemorrhage. John never got over the death. His wife Yoko Ono told Pauline: “Not a day went by when John did not mention Stuart.”
Stuart Sutcliffe kisses Astrid Kirchherr in a photo booth in Hamburg, Germany. (1961) Credit: The Stuart Sutcliffe Estate. (
Image:
Courtesy of Pauline Sutcliffe/Su)
Stuart Sutcliffe poses in a Hamburg photo studio wearing black tight jeans, black leather jacket and hand on hip (1961) Credit: The Stuart Sutcliffe Estate. (
Image:
Courtesy of Pauline Sutcliffe/Su)

The pair’s closeness is evident in many of the 37 photos, slides and negatives of Stuart, Astrid and The Beatles from 1960 to 1962. Diane Vitale, who is chief executive of the estate and was friends with Pauline who died in 2019, said: “The dream was for some of the art collection to find a home where it would be available to all. “The mission was always for it to return to where it all began.” Some items could be donated to a learning institution.

Diane said: “Ideally, a university, museum or foundation could house some of the collection and make it available for exhibition to the public and for research purposes. An individual collector could do the same. Finding a benefactor who could finance a university or museum acquisition would be ideal, and while Liverpool is my first choice it could happen anywhere.”

Douglas Thompson and Pauline authored The Beatles’ Shadow: Stuart Sutcliffe & His Lonely Hearts Club