Identity of man on cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘IV’ discovered 52 years later
nme.comLed Zeppelin IV’ has been resolved.The image of a grey-bearded man stooping over, a bundle of thatched wood on his back and a walking aid propping him up, has been an enigma ever since the album was released in 1971, but now an academic in Wiltshire has uncovered the origins of the photograph.The man in question is a Wiltshire thatcher named Lot Long, who was born in Mere, Wiltshire in 1823, and died in 1893.
The photograph was taken in the late-Victorian era.According to The Guardian, Brian Edwards, a visiting research fellow at the University of the West of England, came across the original image while curating an exhibition at the Wiltshire Museum.
The show in question displayed artifacts relating to the public and cultural history of the county, and while searching for early photographs of Stonehenge, he came across the familiar image.“Led Zeppelin created the soundtrack that has accompanied me since my teenage years, so I really hope the discovery of this Victorian photograph pleases and entertains Robert, Jimmy and John Paul,” Edwards said.‘Led Zeppelin IV’ was released 52 years ago today (November 8), selling more than 37 million copies worldwide, and it was ranked as the 106th greatest album of all time by NME in 2013.The identity of the man in the painting had been a mystery since the album’s original release.
The band’s singer Robert Plant is believed to have purchased a copy of the photograph from an antique shop near guitarist Jimmy Page’s house in Pangbourne, Berkshire.Lot Long, who is sometimes referred to as Lot Longyear, was believed to be a widower at the time the photograph was taken, living in a small cottage in Shaftesbury Road, Mere.
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