Michele & Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Second Floor

This exhibit documents the earliest moments of Beatlemania, including the band’s arrival at JFK Airport in February of 1964, their historic appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, and other moments from their first days in North America. These initial appearances marked the beginning of the “British Invasion” and touched off a cultural shock wave that is still being felt almost 50 years later.

The photographs in the exhibit are from the archives of CBS Television and LIFE photographer, Bill Eppridge, who witnessed first-hand the hysteria that surrounded the band during those first days in America. His photographs give viewers a rare look at the band behind the curtain at the Sullivan taping, inside their suites at the Plaza Hotel, and on the road during their first tour in the United States.

Eppridge himself is a storied figure in photojournalism. Through his camera lens, he documented major civil rights events, presented photo essays on the Ku Klux Klan, and created a groundbreaking series on homosexuality in America. Among his best-known images is that of Robert F. Kennedy as he lay fatally wounded on the Ambassador Hotel floor.

Sponsored by FieldEddy Insurance and Raymond James and Associates.
Media sponsors:The Republican and WDRC 102.9 FM.

LECTURE

1964: Beatlemania and America’s Changing Times
Sunday, April 21; 2 pm. Through his pictures and his words, Bill Eppridge shares his experiences covering this important era in social history. Free with museum admission. Learn more.