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Home   Products   Limited Edition 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite' Letterpress Print

Limited Edition 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite' Letterpress Print

£299.00 £420.00

This is a reproduction of the poster that inspired John Lennon and Paul McCartney to write the song Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite!, which appeared on The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It is printed in a limited edition of 1,967.


  • “Simply Stunning”… Featured in Rolling Stone, and receiving worldwide acclaim, Paul McCartney himself owns a print from this edition. Painstakingly recreated using the same Victorian methods that were used to create John Lennon’s original, this poster features specially commissioned wood engravings from renowned engraver Andy English and each copy is letterpress printed by hand and numbered individually.

    This is a recreation of the poster that inspired John Lennon and Paul McCartney to write the song Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite!, which appeared on The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It is printed in a limited edition of 1,967.

    Lennon bought the poster in an antiques shop and hung it in his music room. While writing for Sgt. Pepper one day, he and Paul McCartney drew inspiration from the quirky, old-fashioned language and set the words to music. Most of the song's lyrics came straight from this old circus poster!

    Every effort has been made to be true to the original poster and it is printed using the same methods that would have been used in 1843.

    This is not only a beautiful letterpress print in its own right, but a unique and fascinating item of Beatles memorabilia. Properly cared-for, it should last even longer than John Lennon's original and it's the perfect gift for a Beatles fan.

    See how it was made

  • Medium

    Letterpress print, with two wood-engravings.

    Dimensions

    The overall dimensions are approximately: 273mm (10.75") x 494mm (19.5"). These measurements include an unprinted 'margin' of approximately 25mm (1") around all sides of the printed area. Paper is cut by hand, so some small variance should be expected.

    Substrate

    It is printed on 225gsm Zerkall 902 Rough. This is heavy, archival-quality paper that is superbly suited to letterpress printing. Please note that the images on this page may not accurately show the colour of the paper, which could be described as off-white or very pale cream.

    Poster Text

    The Poster Reads as follows:

    PABLO FANQUE'S CIRCUS ROYAL,
    TOWN-MEADOWS, ROCHDALE.
    Grandest Night of the Season!
    AND POSITIVELY THE
    LAST NIGHT BUT THREE!
    BEING FOR THE
    BENEFIT OF MR. KITE,
    (LATE OF WELLS'S CIRCUS) AND
    MR. J. HENDERSON,
    THE CELEBRATED SOMERSET THROWER!
    WIRE DANCER, VAULTER, RIDER, &c.
    On TUESDAY Evening, February 14th, 1843.
    Messrs. KITE & HENDERSON, in announcing the following Entertainments, assure the Public that this Night's Production will be one of the most splendid ever produced in this town, having been some days in preparation.
    Mr. KITE will, for this night only, introduce the
    CELEBRATED
    HORSE, ZANTHUS!
    Well known to be one of the best Broke Horses
    IN THE WORLD!!!
    Mr. HENDERSON will undertake the arduous Task of
    THROWING TWENTY-ONE SOMERSETS,
    ON THE SOLID GROUND.
    Mr. KITE will appear, for the first time this season,
    On the Tight Rope,
    When Two Gentlemen Amateurs of this Town will
    perform with him. 

    Mr. HENDERSON will, for the first time in Rochdale,
    introduce his extraordinary
    TRAMPOLINE LEAPS
    AND
    SOMERSETS!
    Over Men & Horses, through Hoops, over Garters, 
    and lastly through a Hogshead of REAL FIRE!
    In this branch of the profession Mr. H challenges 
    THE WORLD!

    For particulars see Bills of the day.

    JONES & CROSSKILL, PRINTERS AND BOOKSELLERS, YORKSHIRE STREET, ROCHDALE.

  • Please select the 'Framed' option above. Prints are framed to archival standards on a per-order basis by a Guild Commended UK framer. Full details about framed prints are at the bottom of this page.

  • We take great care with packaging to help ensure that your print reaches you in excellent condition. Prints are wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and shipped in large-diameter, thick-walled tubes with secured end caps.

    We ship worldwide, and regularly send orders to the US, Canada and Australia. Depending on the destination, orders for multiple prints may arrive in multiple packages.

    UK orders are usually delivered within two working days after dispatch. International orders are normally delivered within 5–10 working days after dispatch.

    Customers in the EU may have to pay a small amount of import duty to receive packages sent from the UK.

  • "The finished product is a gorgeous piece of work, worthy of its status as the unlikely object that inspired a pop-music masterpiece." Fast Company Design

    "One man set out to recreate the original using the traditional techniques of wood engraving and letterpress printing. The results are stunning." Gizmodo

    "I just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with the print I just received...it is simply stunning. Magnificent job all around, and I will treasure it always." Buyer

    "The framed print arrived yesterday. Wow!!! Fantastic, absolutely fantastic. The print looks great and the framing is the icing on the cake. Congratulations on a job very well done." Buyer

    "Package arrived today and the print is in perfect shape. The idea to reproduce this poster was inspired, and it was executed perfectly." Buyer

    "Just want to let you know - I received my wonderful print which was a delicious feast for the eyes … your team did a great job with the details of the reproduction." Buyer

    "I have just received my framed print and would just like to tell you how wonderful it is. I have wanted a Kite poster for years. Thank you for your dedication, the result is truly stunning." Buyer

    "It arrived yesterday and it is spectacular. Everything I had hoped for." Buyer

    See more on our Feedback page.

Paul McCartney owns a print from this edition

Not too long ago we delivered one of these prints to Sir Paul McCartney’s London office and it’s fair to say that we were highly excited about the prospect of Paul – who wrote the song with fellow Beatle John Lennon – owning a copy of our print.

We weren’t exactly expecting to hear back from him, but…

…a few weeks later, an email arrived from Sir Paul’s PA to thank us for the delivery and to say that Paul loves the print! We’re thrilled to have sent him a print and even happier that he likes it so much.

Paul McCartney is joined by other high-profile names who now have one of our Mr Kite posters on their wall. Others include famous musicians, actors, authors and film directors from around the world.

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Paul McCartney Loves our Mr.Kite Print!
Photo By
A copy of the Mr.Kite poster is in London’s prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum

Museum-quality: A print from this edition is now in the world’s leading museum of art and design

This limited edition print was created by artist Peter Dean over a period of almost a year, with assistance from the letterpress experts at New North Press and the incredible talents of wood engraver Andy English. Everyone involved contributed well-honed skills and painstaking attention to detail. Right from the start, we made an effort to create the print to museum standards.

For every single print, a sheet of mould-made, archival-quality paper is cut to size and dampened prior to printing. The wooden and metal type, as well as the wood engravings, are then inked by hand – a process also done separately for every print. Every single print in this limited edition is then hand-pulled on a vintage Albion press. After drying, prints are numbered by hand, in pencil at the lower right in the form #/1967. Each print also comes with a hand-signed certificate of authenticity.

Shortly after this print went on sale, London’s prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum added a copy from this edition to their permanent collection.

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Framed prints

Our framing service for the limited edition Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite print presents the poster beautifully. The same care and attention-to-detail that went into making the print goes into the framing process. Prints are framed professionally, to order, by a Guild Commended Framer using archival-quality materials and usually ship within 7 working days.

The frame is made from hardwood and has a smooth black finish and an inner bezel. The deep mount (or 'matt') is the same colour as the paper that the poster is printed on and allows for approximately 12mm space around the black printed border in the poster.

Frames are sealed on the back to prevent dust from entering. D-ring attachments and hanging cord are also fitted, so the print will arrive ready to hang.

High-quality acrylic is used in place of glass for all shipped orders. It is visibly identical, but should not be cleaned or polished with abrasives.

Dimensions

The overall dimensions of the frame are: Width = 363mm, Height = 595mm, Depth = 27mm.

The black wooden frame itself is 23mm wide all around. The visible part of the mount (or 'matt') is c. 37mm wide all around.

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Framing service for the Mr.Kite poster

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