A collection of doodles, circa 1968

Price Realised GBP 3,276

Estimate

GBP 1,000 - GBP 1,500

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George Harrison

A collection of doodles, circa 1968

Price Realised GBP 3,276

A collection of five doodles sketched in blue ballpoint pen by George Harrison on a sheet of ruled notepaper torn from a spiral bound notebook, circa 1968, depicting two smiling figures holding a raised banner reading Dehradun with ‘Om’ symbol, a boar, a boar’s face, a human face, and a hoofed creature with long neck, possibly a llama
8 x 4⁷⁄₈ in. (20.3 x 12.4 cm.)

Christie's would like to thank noted Beatles autograph and handwriting expert Frank Caiazzo for his assistance in authenticating this lot.

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This lot is offered by Christie Manson & Woods Ltd

Brought to you by

Adrian Hume-SayerDirector, Specialist

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Lot Essay

The banner Dehradun indicates that the doodles likely date from the period that the Beatles embarked on an extended course of Transcendental Meditation under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, between 16 February - 12 April 1968, or soon after Harrison’s return to England that year. Situated at the foothills of the Himalayas, only 45km from Rishikesh, the Beatles and their entourage visited the town at least once during their stay at the ashram. In her 2007 autobiography Wonderful Today, Pattie Boyd recalls that during her time in Rishikesh, she would sometimes leave George meditating and make a foray to Mussoorie and Dheradun [sic], Tibetan trading posts. The banner is reminiscent of the railway sign that Harrison would have seen on arrival at the town’s train station.

Their stay in Rishikesh in early 1968 would be one of the band’s most creative periods. John, Paul and George wrote many songs at this time, nineteen of which would be recorded for the White Album, and another two for Abbey Road. One of the songs George wrote at this time was the rhythmic Dehra Dun, inspired by the town of the same name. Recorded during the All Things Must Pass sessions, the song remained unreleased until its inclusion on the super deluxe edition of Harrison's album All Things Must Pass in 2021.