'A Day In The Life': Rare black and white photos show John Lennon dressed as a woman in 19th century costume with Yoko Ono and their son Sean during family outing

A remarkable set of family photos that show John Lennon larking around and dressing as a woman in 19th century costume have emerged for sale.

The five original black and white pictures offer a rare insight into the personal life of the Beatles legend and show Lennon, his wife Yoko Ono and their baby son Sean having fun in costume while on holiday in America.

They were taken in a vintage clothing photography studio in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1977 - three years before the music icon was shot dead outside his New York apartment - and also feature Sean's nanny and a friend.

The original black and white pictures from 1977 show John Lennon dressed as a woman in 19th century costume with his his wife Yoko Ono posing as a Civil War soldier and a friend standing at the back

The unusual souvenir-style pictures are a far cry from the often serious portrayal of the singer in the media and at one point the famous couple switch roles with Lennon dressing as a woman and Yoko as a Civil War soldier.

The photographer, Sanford Kreger, told a newspaper in 2005 that the family came into the studio when they visited a friend, the late George Maciunas.

Maciunas was a founding member of Fluxus, an international community of artists, architects, composers and designers, that Yoko Ono was also a member of.

He is believed to be the other man in some of the photos. Maciunas was diagnosed with pancreatic and liver cancer the year Lennon visited and died in May 1978.

They were taken in a vintage clothing photography studio in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in 1977 - three years before the music icon was shot dead outside his New York apartment -

Mrs Kreger said of Lennon: 'He just seemed like an ordinary person. He was quite pleasant.'

The photographer Sanford Kreger said in a letter that when their son Sean fidgeted and became impatient during the shoot Lennon turned to him and said just as he likes to play, adults need time for fun and games too

She said when their son fidgeted and became impatient during the shoot Lennon turned to him and said just as he likes to play, adults need time for fun and games too.

When he returned to the studio the next day to pick up the photos he was mobbed by fans and had to go back to his car and get his chauffeur to collect the pictures.

The photographs each measure three inches by five inches and are in American walnut frames. One has a signed letter of the authenticity on the back from the photographer.

It says: 'The photographs of John Lennon with family and friends dressed in 19th century dress were taken in a vintage clothing studio in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in the autumn of 1977. When his son became impatient with the activity, John explained to him that 'this was playtime for the adults'.'

It is thought Ms Kreger made a limited studio print of 100 copies of the famous family.

These photos are now being sold by a private collector through Omega Auctions in Warrington, Cheshire.

Paul Fairweather, from the auctioneers, said: 'The story behind the photos is John Lennon and his family were on a bit of a tour of the States and were passing through this town. 

The rare photos see Lennon sitting his son Sean, now 40, on his lap as he pulls a stern-looking expression in one amusing shot 

'They saw this studio where you could dress up and went in, completely on a whim, and had these photographs done.

'The photographer, Sanford Kreger, obviously kept the negatives and, at some point down the line years later, printed these pictures.

'They are personal, fun family photos and include their son Sean.'

He added: 'You can see that they are having fun, he even dresses as a lady and Yoko is dressed as a man. There's one that a has a Chinese lady in it, that's their nanny.

'As far as I know these are unseen and unpublished. I've not been able to find these photos anywhere.

The unusual souvenir-style pictures are a far cry from the often serious portrayal of the Beatles legend, and also feature Sean's nanny (pictured front)

'If you were selling them with copyrights you could add another zero on the end of the estimate no problem, maybe even more.

'But they are great photos just to see and for a collector of Beatles memorabilia it would definitely be a great item to have.

'They are probably one of the only sets of these pictures, apart from the ones Yoko might still have that they took home with them from their trip.

'I think part of the appeal is they show him relaxed and being himself, with his family, as opposed to the serious nature he was often portrayed in the press.

'You don't see many pictures like that, certainly not with him dressed as a lady, they are pretty unique.'

The photographs will be sold on May 24.

The Beatles legend and his wife switched back to their original costumes in the photoshoot - during which the photographer said he 'just seemed like an ordinary person' and was 'quite pleasant'