The Antique Circus Poster That Inspired John Lennon to Write ‘Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite’

Poster

In 1967, John Lennon purchased a Victorian circus poster at an antiques shop. That poster later inspired him to write the song, ‘Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!‘, which can be found on the ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band‘ album by the The Beatles. The short film titled Lennon’s Poster, by Nick Esdaile and Joe Fellows, talks about the poster and how Peter Dean and his team have lovingly recreated it using traditional methods of wood engraving and letterpress printing. In addition to the film, wood engraver Andy English tells his part in the poster’s re-creation at his blog. Limited-edition reproductions of the poster are available to purchase online.

Wood engraving

Wood Engraving

images via Andy English

via On The Media

Rusty Blazenhoff
Rusty Blazenhoff