Researchers finally identified the mystery man on Led Zeppelin IV album cover

The mystery man pictured on Led Zeppelin IV's album cover is actually a 19th-century thatcher.

Lot Long, who lived in Mere, Wiltshire, is most likely the figure that Ernest Farmer captured on camera, reports BBC. 

The original image was discovered by Brian Edwards of the University of the West of England (UWE) while perusing a photo book for additional study.

"I instantly recognised the man with the sticks - he's often called the stick man," he said.

As a dedicated supporter of the British rock group Led Zeppelin, he expressed his surprise to BBC Radio Wiltshire, saying "it was quite a revelation".

Since then, the picture has been acquired by Wiltshire Museum, which intends to display it in an exhibition the following year.

Since its 1971 release, Led Zeppelin IV—which featured the massive hit song "Stairway to Heaven"—has sold over 37 million copies worldwide.

The cover art had previously been described as a photograph of a painting, reportedly discovered by the band's lead singer, Robert Plant, in an antique shop near guitarist Jimmy Page's house in Berkshire.

But the framed image which can be seen on the cover is a colourised photograph, the whereabouts of which is now unknown.

Edwards - who is part of the regional history centre at UWE in Bristol - explained how he worked out the original photographer was Ernest Farmer, who died in 1944.

The only clue in the photo album was the photographer's name Ernest, but Mr Edwards discovered hundreds of Victorian photographers with that name.