Figure on Led Zeppelin IV cover identified as Victorian Wiltshire thatcher

The Wiltshire thatcher, as seen on the cover of Led Zeppelin IV. Photograph: Wiltshire Museum

For Led Zeppelin fans it is an instantly recognisable image: that of a grey-bearded figure stooping, his leathery hands grasping the pole supporting a bundle of hazel on his back.

But the origin of the image, which forms the centrepiece of the eye-catching front cover of Led Zeppelin IV, has remained a mystery for more than half a century.