1st Album Cover design :: Alex Steinweiss (more photos)
In 1939 23 yr old designer, Alex Steinweiss, convinced (as the first Art Director) Columbia Records to allow him to design the first real album cover for "Smash Song Hits" by Rodgers & Hart.By doing so, Steinweiss basically came up with the idea of creating album & cover art. Up until then, the albums were generically designed. Someone at Undependent picked up the album off eBay for under $30.
Before the LP (Long Playing) record, 78 records were usually 10 inch platters that held around 3 minutes of music! In other words, this Rodgers and Hart collection of Smash Song Hits includes 4 separate platters! More bulk than a modern CD box set!
Cover
The 78
Inside
Spine
Back Cover
(credit: @DesignFacts)