In March 1967, The Beatles stepped into Chelsea Manor Studios in London for a photo shoot unlike anything they had done before. The task was to create the cover for their upcoming album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Paul McCartney had sketched a rough idea—a Victorian-style bandstand surrounded by famous faces. Pop artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth took that drawing and built it into a full-scale set. Art dealer Robert Fraser guided the design’s direction, while photographer Michael Cooper prepared to capture the final image.
The studio space was packed with props. More than 60 life-sized cardboard cut-outs of cultural icons stood shoulder to shoulder with the band. The list included Marilyn Monroe, Bob Dylan, Karl Marx, Oscar Wilde, and even The Beatles themselves from earlier years. Each cut-out was positioned carefully so no face would be blocked in the final shot.
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The Beatles arrived wearing satin military-style uniforms made by the London theatrical costumer M. Berman Ltd. Each member had chosen a different bold color—John in yellow, Paul in blue, George in orange-red, and Ringo in pink. The style was a parody of Britain’s late-1960s trend for military jackets, but with a psychedelic twist. The heavy fake mustaches, worn by all four, reflected the growing hippie look of the time.
At the center of the scene stood a large bass drum with the album’s title hand-painted by fairground artist Joe Ephgrave. In front of it, an arrangement of red flowers spelled out “Beatles.” Surrounding the flowers were other plants—fuchsia, hyacinths, and even small cannabis plants placed discreetly among the greenery.
The band members roamed the set between shots, shifting positions and joking about the unusual crowd of cardboard celebrities. The lighting was adjusted over and over to avoid casting shadows on the faces, real or fake. Cooper took multiple exposures to ensure every detail—from the gold trim on the uniforms to the gloss on the drum skin—was sharp.
Paul later recalled that each Beatle picked odd items for the set, often clashing over colors and placements. The mix of personal choice and artistic direction turned the set into a visual puzzle. Every item had to fit without distracting from the main focus—the four members of the band as their fictional Sgt. Pepper’s alter egos.
When the session ended, the studio floor was scattered with flower petals, tape marks, and empty tea cups. The cardboard figures were carefully dismantled and stored. The Beatles walked away knowing they had been part of something visually daring, even if the world had yet to see it.
