In 1991, 4-month-old Spencer Eden was photographed by Kirk Weddle for what would become one of the most famous covers in rock history. The baby was photographed underwater in a pool fully naked next to a floating dollar bill for the cover of Nirvana’s iconic album Nevermind, which was released on September 24th, 1991.
Eden, now 30-years old, is currently suing the surviving members of Nirvana, Weddle, the album’s label, and the Kurt Cobain estate (just weeks away from the album’s 30th anniversary) for violating federal child pornography statutes and for child sexual exploitation. Eden is claiming to have suffered “lifelong damages” from what he described as a “sex trafficking venture,” and that his legal guardians never signed a release authorizing the use of his photos.
At the time of Nevermind’s release, the band was concerned about any offense the album cover could cause, but lead singer Kurt Cobain would only digress if they added a sticker covering the baby’s genitals that read, “If you’re offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile.”