Astrid Kirchherr
Astrid Kirchherr was born on the 20th of May 1938 in Hamburg, Germany. Her father had been an executive for the German branch of Ford Motor Company before he died. She grew up with her widowed mother Nielsa Kirchherr on Eimsbütteler Strasse in Altona. This wealthy suburb became a place of safety during World War II until she was evacuated to the Baltic Sea region. During that evacuation, she witnessed dead bodies lying on the shore after ships like the Cap Arcona and SS Deutschland were bombed and sunk. When she returned to Hamburg, she saw the city destroyed by war. These early experiences shaped her worldview before she even entered art school.
After graduation, Kirchherr enrolled at the Meisterschule für Mode, Textil, Grafik und Werbung in Hamburg. She intended to study fashion design but showed talent for black-and-white photography instead. Reinhard Wolf served as the main photographic tutor there. He convinced her to switch courses and promised to hire her as his assistant upon graduation. From 1959 until 1963, she worked directly under Wolf's supervision. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, she joined friends in the European existentialist movement known as Exis. John Lennon later gave this group its nickname. They wore black clothes and tried to look moody while reading French artists and writers. England felt too far away and America was out of reach. France provided their closest cultural connection. They wanted to be free and different from others around them.
In 1960, Klaus Voormann wandered down the Reeperbahn in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg after an argument with Astrid and Jürgen Vollmer. Music drifted from the Kaiserkeller club where a group called the Beatles performed. Voormann watched the show featuring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best. He asked Kirchherr and Vollmer to listen to this new music. After visiting the rough area of the Reeperbahn, Kirchherr decided she needed to be close to the band. The trio had never heard rock n' roll before. They listened only to trad jazz mixed with Nat King Cole and The Platters. They visited the Kaiserkeller almost every night at 9 o'clock sitting by the front of the stage. Kirchherr said it was like a merry-go-round in her head because they looked absolutely astonishing. Her whole life changed in a couple of minutes.
Kirchherr used a Rolleicord camera made in 1955 for her early sessions. She asked the Beatles if they would let her take photographs during a photo session which impressed them since other groups only received snapshots from friends. The next morning she took pictures at a fairground in Hamburger Dom municipal park near the Reeperbahn. In the afternoon she photographed everyone except Pete Best who chose not to go. She brought them all to her mother's house in Altona. Her bedroom was decorated entirely in black including furniture with silver foil on walls and a large tree branch suspended from the ceiling. Stuart Sutcliffe borrowed her leather pants jackets collarless jackets oversized shirts and long scarves. He also wore a corduroy suit with no lapels that prompted Lennon to ask sarcastically if his mother had lent him the suit. Sutcliffe wrote to friends he was infatuated with Kirchherr and asked about colors films books painters and whom she fancied.
Kirchherr and Sutcliffe got engaged in November 1960 exchanging rings as per German custom. They traveled to Liverpool in summer 1961 so she could meet his family before marriage. She arrived at 37 Aigburth Drive wearing a round-necked cashmere sweater and tailored skirt while holding a single long-stemmed orchid. In February 1962, Sutcliffe collapsed during an art class suffering intense headaches. His condition worsened while living at the Kirchherrs' house in Hamburg. On the 10th of April 1962, Kirchherr received a phone call from her mother informing her that Sutcliffe had collapsed again. An ambulance was called for him. She rushed home and rode with him inside the vehicle. He died in her arms before reaching the hospital. Three days later she met Lennon McCartney and Best at the Hamburg airport telling them Sutcliffe had died of a brain haemorrhage. Harrison and manager Brian Epstein arrived on another plane with Sutcliffe's mother who had been informed by telegram.
In 1964, Kirchherr became a freelance photographer working alongside colleague Max Scheler. They took behind-the-scenes photos of the Beatles filming A Hard Day's Night for Stern magazine. Epstein forbade publicity shots without permission but Kirchherr phoned Harrison who arranged it only if they paid her. Stern contacted Bill Harry at Mersey Beat newspaper suggesting Kirchherr take group photos. Over 200 groups turned up at St. George's Hall in Liverpool meaning Kirchherr and Scheler ran out of money quickly. She did not publish these images until 1995 in a book titled Liverpool Days containing limited-edition black-and-white photographs. In 1999, a companion volume called Hamburg Days appeared featuring memory drawings by Voormann. Kirchherr described how difficult it was to be accepted as a female photographer in the 1960s. Every magazine wanted her old stuff even if out of focus whether nice or not. They would not look at her other work. It was very hard for a girl photographer in the 60s to be accepted. In the end she gave up taking almost no photos since 1967.
Kirchherr married English drummer Gibson Kemp born August 1945 in Liverpool Lancashire in 1967. The marriage ended after seven years. She then worked as a barmaid interior designer and for a music publishing firm before marrying a German businessman for a second time. Her second marriage concluded in 1985 leaving her childless but happy living alone. Starting mid-1990s, she operated K&K photography shop with business partner Ulf Krüger offering vintage prints books and artwork. She advised on the film Backbeat released in 1994 portraying her Sutcliffe and the Beatles during early days in Hamburg. Stephen Dorff played Sutcliffe and impressed her with his age gestures smoking habits and speech patterns. Sheryl Lee portrayed Kirchherr in the movie. News of her death arrived on the 12th of May 2020 following a short serious illness just one week prior to her 82nd birthday. Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn announced her passing via Twitter praising her involvement as immeasurable.
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Common questions
When and where was Astrid Kirchherr born?
Astrid Kirchherr was born on the 20th of May 1938 in Hamburg, Germany. She grew up with her widowed mother Nielsa Kirchherr on Eimsbütteler Strasse in Altona.
How did Astrid Kirchherr meet the Beatles?
Astrid Kirchherr met the Beatles after Klaus Voormann invited her to listen to music drifting from the Kaiserkeller club in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg. The band performed at the venue while she visited the Reeperbahn area almost every night at 9 o'clock.
What camera did Astrid Kirchherr use for her early photography sessions?
Astrid Kirchherr used a Rolleicord camera made in 1955 for her early sessions. She asked the Beatles if they would let her take photographs during a photo session which impressed them since other groups only received snapshots from friends.
Who died in the arms of Astrid Kirchherr in April 1962?
Stuart Sutcliffe died in the arms of Astrid Kirchherr before reaching the hospital on the 10th of April 1962. He had collapsed again and suffered from a brain haemorrhage while living at the Kirchherrs' house in Hamburg.
When did Astrid Kirchherr stop taking photos?
Astrid Kirchherr gave up taking almost no photos since 1967 due to difficulties being accepted as a female photographer in the 1960s. She later published images from that era in books titled Liverpool Days in 1995 and Hamburg Days in 1999.