In 1966 the Beatles also played in the USA. Before a concert in San Francisco, they immortalize themselves on a tablecloth, paint a sunset and portraits. The caterer issues the tablecloth ennobled by the music legends, shortly afterwards it is stolen. Now she’s back – and should bring in a lot of money.
A tablecloth on which all four members of legendary British band The Beatles scribbled drawings and their names in 1966 has been resurfaced after 55 years. The unique piece of band history came about when the musicians fortified themselves with steaks before a concert in San Francisco, USA – which Joe Vilardi’s catering company had supplied along with the tablecloth.
A sunset, several portraits, faces and eyes – in addition to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, singer Joan Baez also immortalized herself on the piece of white linen fabric.
Rather than wash the tablecloth, Joe Vilardi displayed it in his shop window – from which it was stolen barely a week later.
More than 50 years later, Vilardi’s grandson, Michael Vilardi, received a phone call from Texas. “It was a lady who asked if our family had a catering business in San Francisco, and I got a feeling she knew something about the tablecloth,” Vilardi said.
It turned out that the caller’s brother was in possession of the tablecloth and didn’t know what to do with it, Vilardi said. So the man had received it as payment for a debt from someone. Because it was stolen, he couldn’t sell it, so his sister persuaded him to return it to its rightful owner.
Now the tablecloth is to be auctioned off in an online auction. Auction house Bonhams estimates that she could fetch up to $25,000 by the end of the auction on Oct. 19.
In 1966, the Beatles, who had their breakthrough in 1962, had long been at the peak of their career – and were already gradually saying goodbye to the stage and public appearances. Also because the screams of the mostly female fans drowned out the music. On May 1, 1966, the Beatles stood on a British concert stage for the last time. In the summer of 1966 they went on a world tour – which also took them to San Francisco.
