Spencer Elden would become the face of one of the most iconic albums in rock music history at just a few months old, but have you ever wondered much he was paid for the image?
Elden, now 34, is best known as the 'Nirvana baby' after he graced the band's breakthrough album Nevermind in 1991. The album cover - which saw baby Elden photographed naked while swimming towards a dollar bill on a fish hook in a pool - is an image which has long been steeped in controversy.
Prior to the album's release, record label Geffen voiced concerns about the infant's penis being visible in the photo, but relented after frontman Kurt Cobain said he would only cover it with a sticker which read: "If you're offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile."
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Elden himself would later go on to sue the band's estate, filing a complaint against surviving band members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Cobain's widow Courtney Love alongside photographer Kirk Weddle over the image in 2021.
Elden's inclusion on the album came after the band were looking for ways to save money on the artwork.
Inspired by water-births, Cobain came up with the idea for the album cover and mentioned it to Geffen's art director Robert Fisher.
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After finding out that a stock photo of a swimming baby would cost $7,500 (£5,945) Fisher reached out to Weddle, who asked his friends, Elden's parents, if he could use their child instead.
The parents were paid $200 (£158) for the image, which is an absolute steal when you consider that Nevermind has has sold 30 million copies and become one of the most influential albums in modern music.
The lawsuit claimed the photo had been taken without Elden's consent and that the naked image constitutes child pornography.
He sought £120,000 in damages.
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Although US law doesn't consider non-sexualised photos of infants child pornography, Elden would claim the inclusion of the dollar bill on the cover depicted him as a 'sex worker'.
The lawsuit would later be dismissed, prompting Elden to refile multiple times, with an appeals court overturning a ruling which stated he had waited too long to sue the band in December 2023.
Prior to the lawsuit Elden spoke positively about his appearance on the cover, recreated the image numerous times over the years and even has the album name tattooed across his chest for good measure — a decision which prompted a scathing reaction from Grohl.
Topics: Music, Money, Dave Grohl
Brenna Cooper