An original nineteenth century print of the photograph of a thatcher used on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s fourth album has been discovered in a Sussex auction.

The print, which is the largest known original print of the photograph used on Led Zeppelin’s iconic album cover, is set to be sold at auction later this month.

The discovery of the print is the most significant new information on the image since an original copy of the photograph was discovered at auction in 2023, leading to the identification of both the thatcher and the photographer.

Now, the newly discovered larger print suggests the image of the thatcher may have been a relatively well-known image during the nineteenth century before a copy of it was discovered by Robert Plant in an antiques shop and used by Led Zeppelin.

The newly found print was discovered by fine art dealer and consultant Tim Williams after he was brought in by Sussex auction firm Denhams to review the contents of an upcoming vintage and interior items auction.

Leo Denham, the head of the auction house, sent Williams a draft copy of the catalogue for the upcoming sale showing the items that were due to be sold.

The gatefold cover of Led Zeppelin’s fourth album

“I went through the draft of the catalogue and I immediately spotted that photograph,” Williams tells LedZepNews. “I said ‘Leo, this is the image from the cover of Led Zeppelin IV, an album I bought when I was 13.’ And being a guitarist as well, Led Zeppelin are one of my favorite bands of all time.”

Williams began researching the photograph, realising he had discovered an incredibly rare example of one of the best-known images in rock music.

“I thought ‘Oh my god, we found the second version of this original photograph,’” he says.

The print of the thatcher discovered at Denhams auction house in Sussex by Tim Williams (Denhams)

Williams’ discovery of the print comes after two more original copies of the image came to light following the 2023 discovery of the original copy by historian Brian Edwards.

“I flipped it upright and lo and behold my jaw hit the floor,” Edwards told LedZepNews in 2023, recalling the moment he found the original print in a photo album. “There was something immediately recognisable about it.”

The 1892 photograph album discovered at auction in 2023 that contained an original print of the thatcher photograph (Ernest Howard Farmer/Wiltshire Museum)

Edwards was able to identify the photographer behind the image as Ernest Howard Farmer and also found that the thatcher in the image was likely Lot Long.

Since then, Edwards and Williams tell LedZepNews that two other prints have come forwards. This means a total of four surviving prints of the photo are now known to exist: The original copy found by Edwards in 2023, the larger print found by Williams and an additional two prints.

The print found by Williams is the largest print to surface of the thatcher image so far, measuring 60.8 x 44.4 cm compared to the dimensions of the original print found by Edwards of 16.6 x 11.3 cm.

The seller of the newly discovered print was unaware of its significance until Williams recognised the image. It was listed for sale by the widow of an antique dealer who has been selling her husband’s remaining stock.

After the auction firm realised the photograph of the thatcher might be especially valuable, it took a closer look at the back of its frame and found a partial gallery label affixed to it with handwritten text. The label appears to read “thatcher (Devonshire)” and likely says “original photograph” beneath it.

The partial label affixed to the back of the print of the thatcher discovered at Denhams auction house in Sussex (Denhams)

The label and the number of surviving prints found suggest that the photograph of the thatcher may have been a relatively popular image.

“Now we know there are four of them and there must have been a fifth one that Robert Plant found in the antique shop,” Williams says, “why was this image almost widely disseminated in the nineteenth century?”

“This image must have completely fallen out of cultural significance until it was picked up by Robert Plant and put on the front of Led Zeppelin IV, which is quite an extraordinary story really,” he adds.

The print will be available to purchase in Denhams’ upcoming auction on February 25 where it has been given an estimate of between £1,500 and £2,000. Online bidding will take place through The Saleroom. The auction lots, including the photograph, will be available for public viewing starting from February 20.

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