In December 1946, John Lennon spent his first Christmas with aunt Mimi and uncle George. They all took the bus into town and sat for Polyfoto portraits in Lewis’s Department Store.
The cap with the “SF” emblem John is wearing in the Lewis’s photos has caused much debate. It’s sometimes described as John’s school cap and yet none of the three schools he attended – Mosspits, Dovedale and Quarry Bank had cap badges that matched this one. The letters don’t stand for “Strawberry Field” (and why would he be wearing a cap from there anyway? At the time this photo was taken the home only took in girls).
The font does match the badge of the San Francisco Seals baseball team and while it’s nice to imagine that Alf Lennon picked it up as a gift for John during one of his voyages it’s unlikely the Seals logo would have found its way onto a school cap as team branded souvenirs probably didn’t exist then. It’s more likely a school cap from the photographer’s prop box. Of the Liverpool ‘Saint’ schools it doesn’t match the school badge of St. Francis de Sales, St Francis of Assisi or St Francis Xavier. A mystery never to be solved perhaps.
Explore delightful portraits of young John Lennon at age six, showcasing his charm and imagination. A tribute to the early years of a musical icon.
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