DEVON, England \u2014 A \u201cmystery man\u201d shown on the album cover of Led Zeppelin IV has been revealed as a 19th century thatcher, researchers have found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The figure \u2013 who has remained unknown for over half a century \u2013 is most likely Lot Long from Mere in Wiltshire \u2013 photographed by Ernest Farmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brian Edwards, from the University of the West of England (UWE), found the original picture when looking through a photograph album for other research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The photograph is now in Wiltshire Museum in Devizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An exhibition featuring the image, along with others taken in the West of England during the Victorian era, is scheduled to be held at the museum in spring 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The framed image of an elderly man carrying a large bundle of sticks on his back can be recognized worldwide as the centerpiece of the iconic front cover of Led Zeppelin IV \u2013 which famously features no words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Released 52 years ago today (8 November 1971, Led Zeppelin IV has sold more than 37 million copies worldwide and includes the huge hit Stairway to Heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cover art had previously been described as a photograph of a painting, which was reportedly discovered by the band\u2019s lead singer, Robert Plant, in an antique shop near guitarist Jimmy Page\u2019s house in Berkshire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the framed image which can be seen on the cover is actually a colorized photograph \u2013 the whereabouts of which is now unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Edwards, who is part of the regional history center at UWE in Bristol, explained how he worked out the original photographer was Ernest Farmer, who died in 1944.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only clue in the photo album was the photographer\u2019s name Ernest, but Mr Edwards discovered hundreds of Victorian photographers with that name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said \u201cthe quality of the photos suggested they were taken by a professional, and so he looked for chemists, as many of them were involved in photography.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Edwards discovered a chemist working in Salisbury, close to where the picture was taken, who had a son called Ernest Farmer, and then found his handwriting online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Farmer was the first head of the school of photography at the then newly-renamed Polytechnic Regent Street, now the University of Westminster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said: \u201cPart of the signatures matches some of the handwriting in the album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe black and white photograph has a thumbprint in the corner \u2013 it looks like it\u2019s the original.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The photo album mostly contains views and architecture from south Wiltshire and Dorset<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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