British Gothic

In May of 1965, Photographer Robert Whitaker came over to Kenwood to take pictures of John and his family. Robert met The Beatles in 1964, went to tour with them, present in the recording studio, and was part of their work for song single covers, American version albums (like the famous controversial "Butcher" cover), and other projects, including magazines and newspapers. Bob became a friend, close enough to be invited to their homes (or hospital rooms - he took Zak Starkey's birth pictures in 1965). 

Back in 1963, Robert took these similar photos of Nigel Buesst and his girlfriend in Melbourne to recreate early Australian photography of the 1860s as pioneering settlers. Well, I never heard of a Nigel Buesst and barely found anything useful on the internet, nevermind Robert's photos of him. The closest inspiration I know is a famous American Gothic painting by Grant Wood; except Robert wasn't really aware of the painting until years later. Anyway, Robert had a similar vision for the Lennon family to display them as a happy hard working family while doing their best to earn a living. 

"I thought John and Cynthia were brilliant together. Despite everything that's been said about them since, they seemed to be a perfect couple. This was at their home. I decided to shoot them as a kind of emblematic family. Cynthia with a mop, John with a workman's tool and Julian with a gold spoon, as the child who has been born into the rich set-up. We set it up as a kind of theatre-piece, and John loved it. As soon as he saw the hoe, he grabbed it and said, 'I'm the breadwinner here, you know.'" 

Robert Whitaker, Photographer

“That was what I’ve done all my life: introduce elements you wouldn’t expect in a photo. I can’t draw, so I used my camera instead.”

Robert Whitaker

“I had been studying the Greek myth of Narcissus, and one day at the Lennons', I got John to look at his reflection in the water. I had him put a dandelion over his eye. Then I gave John a hoe and Cynthia a mop, and tried to turn them into something very real: pioneers. We shoved a gold spoon into Julian's hand. I thought the three of them were a fabulous family. I never discussed with John why he left Cynthia.” 

Robert Whitaker

Unfortunately, Robert stopped taking pictures of The Beatles after 1966; nothing bad happened between them, just life taking Robert in a different direction. Robert last saw John in the early 1970s but I don't think they spoke much other than pleasantries. However, Robert did eventually reconnect with Cynthia and Julian, becoming good friends. Robert died in 2011.