The Female Artist Left Out Of “Sgt Pepper”
The cover of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band, The Beatles‘ best-selling album, has etched itself into British pop culture. Five decades on, the brightly coloured line-up of John, Ringo, Paul and George surrounded by a celebrity motley crew remains instantly recognizable. This record sleeve is still, despite his 60-year-career, Peter Blake‘s most famous work – something his representatives say “gets a bit tedious.” Blake didn’t, however, work alone. His then wife, American artist Jann Haworth, says she was jointly commissioned by art dealer Robert ‘Groovy Bob’ Fraser. But
she’s been largely left out of the history of the cover’s creation as other characters, such as Paul McCartney, have shuffled to the fore. Now, as Sgt Pepper approaches its 50th anniversary, she tells her story.
