# The mysterious young woman in the sky blue mini dress on the back cover of the Abbey Road album **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834 "2014-08-18T15:41:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/1 "2014-08-18T15:41:35Z")
All right. Seems as though this young woman was walking along Alexandra Road, at the corner of Abbey Road, when the iconic photograph of the back cover album was taken. > **[The Abbey Road cover photography session](https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/08/08/the-abbey-road-cover-photography-session/)** > > All four Beatles gathered at EMI Studios on the morning of Friday 8 August 1969 for one of the most famous photo shoots of their career. Photographer Iain Macmillan took the iconic image that adorned the front of their last-recorded album, Abbey... Two questions: a) Did this young woman ever come forward later on? b) What about the enigmatic ‘P’ that can be seen on her left thigh, fuelling the rumors of McCartney’s death at the time? Was this a photographic glitch, or was it intentionally placed there either by the photographer or someone in the Beatles’ entourage? Yes, I know. Nothing earth shattering as questions go. Simple curiosity from a half-century old Beatles fan.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/2 "2014-08-18T17:24:41Z")
Where is she in the pictures you link to- I don’t see her. ---
**Author:** ![48Willys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/db5fbb/32.png) [@48Willys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/48Willys)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/3 "2014-08-18T17:44:20Z")
I looked at my album first to make sure that my memory was correct as to what the back cover looked like. I did not find the back cover on the posted link. Google “back cover of the Abbey Road album” to find the picture. I do not see the “P”. I also do not know the answers to either question. Not much help, I know, sorry, 48. Well, back to work I go! ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/4 "2014-08-18T17:46:32Z")
[![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AaXwGo-Qrps/UWRb0HwbHYI/AAAAAAAAchY/sDa9GAnGDPo/s640/abbey-road-back.jpg) ](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AaXwGo-Qrps/UWRb0HwbHYI/AAAAAAAAchY/sDa9GAnGDPo/s640/abbey-road-back.jpg) I don’t see a “P”. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/5 "2014-08-18T18:11:42Z")
I presumed she was a professional model, despite never giving a moment’s thought to her identity before just now. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/6 "2014-08-18T18:15:54Z")
You’d think a professional model wouldn’t have pee on her thigh. (The P in question is a faint, block-letter P just above and to the left of the light-colored brick. I’d say it’s just a combination of the lighting dapple and the multiple moire-ing of the printing and image scanning process. But then, I don’t never thought daed si lauP anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/7 "2014-08-18T18:37:32Z")
The son of a photo retoucher who supposedly worked on the front and back cover photos claims that > [@](#): > > the girl in the blue dress was added with dark room trickery. > [Bitdepth: John Cockcroft - Master Retoucher 1934 -2008](http://mikecockcroft.blogspot.com/p/john-cockcroft-retoucher-1934-2008.html) I have no idea if that’s true. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/8 "2014-08-18T18:46:05Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > I have no idea if that’s true. It does look like the bricks are bleeding into the leg. Moreso in the image from your link, though, than from **Accidental Martyr** ’s link. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/9 "2014-08-18T18:47:41Z")
The photo has motion blur and could be a shot of someone just walking by. I can’t imagine how any woman would recognize herself from a butt shot in a blue dress. If it was a model than I’m surprised she hasn’t come forward. Getting hired to pose for a Beatles cover would be memorable for any young model. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/10 "2014-08-18T19:08:33Z")
According to this site: [http://www.shootingfilm.net/2013/04/behind-scenes-of-iconic-abbey-road.html](http://www.shootingfilm.net/2013/04/behind-scenes-of-iconic-abbey-road.html) > [@](#): > > After the road-crossing photo was finished, Iain Macmillan set off to find a good "Abbey Road" street marker sign to use for the back cover of the album. He found it at the junction of Alexandra Road and started taking photos of the sign. Much to his chagrin, while he was busy shooting an oblivious woman in a blue dress walked right in front of his viewfinder. While reviewing his shots later that day, however, he decided that the "blue dress" photo was the most interesting of the bunch, and he ended up using it in the final composition. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/11 "2014-08-18T21:33:31Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > According to this site: > [http://www.shootingfilm.net/2013/04/behind-scenes-of-iconic-abbey-road.html](http://www.shootingfilm.net/2013/04/behind-scenes-of-iconic-abbey-road.html) Yep. That’s the link I was thinking of. Sorry about the erroneous one, although it does clarify the geographical location. As to the ‘P’ on the inner left thigh of the young woman, I distinctly remember seeing one at the time I purchased the original album in 1970. It is all but invisible in the photo links posted here. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/12 "2014-08-18T22:23:01Z")
Incidentally, I should mention that the ‘P’ in question looked, more than anything else, like a loose thread that could have come from the dress. Although, if I remember correctly, it was a slightly darker shade of blue… as if someone had wanted it to be noticed (so that it could have been added to the list of PID clues;-)). ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/13 "2014-08-19T15:45:10Z")
**Moderator Action** While this is a factual topic, since it concerns the cover art on a music album it is more appropriate for CS. Moving thread from General Questions to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/14 "2014-08-22T20:57:29Z")
You mean the girl in the blue dress wasn’t Lovely Rita, Meter Maid? ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mysterious-young-woman-in-the-sky-blue-mini-dress-on-the-back-cover-of-the-abbey-road-album/695834/15 "2014-08-22T21:00:47Z")
‘‘and on the back cover the signage " Beatles" and “Abbey Road” where created from shots of street lettering from in and around London, cracks drawn in to make it real and finally the girl in the blue dress was added with dark room trickery.’’ If that’s true, it’s fascinating. I always thought the young woman just happened to pass through when the photo was taken, as a few other sites had noted. And this quote would also answer a few other questions I had with the signage. Thanks **bibliophage**!