Alex Steinweiss is widely credited as the man who invented the album cover. In 1939, he was a 23-year-old newly employed as art director of Columbia Records. Struck with the inspired idea that albums should no longer be hidden away in dull plain paper sleeves, he went in to see his bosses with a plan that would lead to records becoming the objects of visual desire they are today. A_ er getting the green light, the cheeky shoot for this 1940 78 took place at New York’s Imperial _ eatre, where as darkness fell Steinweiss convinced the owner to rearrange the venue signage to read ‘Smash Song Hits by Rodgers & Hart’, his photographer took the shot, and the _ rst album cover was born. Steinweiss’ expensive gamble paid o_ , with sales rising by 900 per cent a_ er the album cover was introduced. “I had such ambition that I was willing to go way beyond what the hell they paid me for,” he later recalled. “I wanted people to look at the artwork and hear the music.” Steinweiss went on to work for London, Decca and Everest Records, designing over 2,000 sleeves. His work was celebrated in a Taschen edition _ ttingly entitled Alex Steinweiss, _ e Inventor Of _ e Modern Album Cover.