Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have sold the first pictures of their new baby Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt for over $4 million, but the prized photos have apparently been leaked on the internet.

A number of websites, have begun posting what they claim are the first snapshots of the couple's baby.

Various gossip blogs show what looks like an upcoming cover photo of Britain's Hello! magazine featuring Pitt and Jolie gazing down adoringly at the new baby.

Yesterday, the couple announced they were selling the photos through Getty photo agency and donating the profits to a charity to benefit African children.

The entire process has been a closely guarded secret - until now.

A source tells gossip site PageSix.com that all of the Us weekly magazine editors were summoned to the Getty photo offices in New York City late on Saturday night to view the photos.

The source recalls, "The photos were shown to us around 10pm to midnight, and then we had to submit bids by 6am Sunday morning."

"No one got any sleep at all, as it was a manic game of phone-tag to top each other's bids. I'm convinced it was Brangie's (Brad and Angelina's) revenge on the weekly magazines."

The pictures were eventually sold to US publication People magazine for $4.1 million.