John, with Stuart in the background, Hamburg Fun Fair, 1960.

The Archive

Astrid Kirchherr

1938 — 2020

Hamburg Fun Fair, 1960

The photographer

Astrid Kirchherr (1938–2020) was an immensely talented art and fashion student in post-war Hamburg, poised for a meteoric rise in the 1960s art scene thanks to her sense of style and keen lens. A protégé of the great photographer Reinhart Wolf, she was ready to take the look of her generation in Hamburg, the center of beat and rock & roll in Europe, to the world.

She could have had no idea how her world was about to change when she met John, George, Paul, Pete and especially Stuart Sutcliffe, the band otherwise known as the Beatles. Her photographs of them in Hamburg became some of the defining images of the era.

These are select photographs from her iconic archive, available to license for books, film and television, editorial publication, exhibitions and print.

Every license is prepared as a quote. High-resolution files are released after payment.

Self-portrait of Astrid Kirchherr, reflected in a mirror with a Rolleiflex camera.
Self-portrait

License an image

Describe the use and we will send a quote. There is no shopping cart and no instant download.

Book

Scholarly, trade, and illustrated books.

Film & Television

Documentary and narrative productions.

Editorial

Newspapers, magazines, and journalistic publication.

Exhibition

Museums, galleries, and institutional display.

Print

Fine-art prints and approved printed reproductions.

A license covers the photograph. It does not include name, likeness, or trademark rights in anyone depicted.

From the catalog

View all fifty-two photographs
Portrait of John.
John
Stuart Sutcliffe in the woods, 1960.
Stuart Sutcliffe, 1960
George and John, paired portraits against black.
George and John
Portrait of Klaus Voormann.
Klaus Voormann
John seated and George standing in an attic.
John and George, attic
The Beatles standing in the studio of Reinhart Wolf, 1962.
The Beatles, studio of Reinhart Wolf, 1962
Portrait of George, 1962.
George, 1962
Four children in a Liverpool street, 1964.
Liverpool, 1964

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Please tell us about the project. Inquiries are read by Ginzburg Fine Arts and answered from licensing@ginzburgfinearts.com.

Photographs by Astrid Kirchherr, Copyright Ginzburg Fine Arts, LLC.