Bidding for this lot will end on Friday, November 10th. The auction will begin at 3:00PM BST and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Thursday, November 9th, Saturday, November 11th or Sunday, November 12th.

A collection of photographs taken during the period that John Lennon referred to as his "Lost Weekend". These images were taken by Peter "Dougal" Butler, Keith Moon's personal assistant in the 1970s.

On March 22, 1974, Lennon and his partner, May Pang, rented a beach house in Santa Monica once owned by actor Peter Lawford and his wife, Pat Kennedy. He stayed there while working as a producer on Harry Nilsson's album "Pussycats". Lennon hosted a series of gatherings at the beach house for musicians and friends to gather and play music.

Moon and Butler travelled to Los Angeles and moved into Lennon's rented house on 10 April, 1974. On one occasion, Ringo Starr, Paul and Linda McCartney, Nilsson and Moon gathered at the house, participating in a Beatles song medley. Lennon did not attend this session but joined the group in the afternoon around the pool. Some of these images were taken during these events, and without knowing, Butler captured the last time Lennon and McCartney were photographed together. The majority of these images remain unpublished.

The lot consists of 15 Polaroids, six colour photos, and two larger printed black-and-white copies of images also taken by Butler. Some photographs display handwritten annotations, and the lot exhibits scratching and minor marks from age. Dimensions (largest): 12.5 cm x 17.5 cm (5" x 7")

This lot is sold by the seller with certain copyright and/or design rights; see notice in the Buyer's Guide. For further details on those rights and the terms of the agreement the seller will transfer them to the buyer, please contact us.

Additional Provenance:

Lot 238, Bonhams Film, Rock & Pop Auction on 17 November 2021

Estimate: £10,000 - 20,000 M