Sticky Fingers Cover — The Factory, New York City

The cover of the Rolling Stones' 1971 album "Sticky Fingers" was designed by Andy Warhol and photographed at the Factory — Warhol's studio, then located at 33 Union Square West. The cover featured a close-up of a male crotch in jeans, with a working zip that could be opened to reveal white underwear beneath — the first album sleeve to use this tactile, interactive device. Warhol's involvement was a testament to the Stones' position at the intersection of rock and the New York art world, a relationship that had been developing since the mid-1960s.

Warhol had photographed various people for the cover shoot, and the identity of the model has been disputed over the years — Warhol, Jagger, and others have all been suggested. The working zip was a production challenge: it scratched the vinyl record inside, requiring a cardboard insert to protect it. The inner sleeve, with a photograph of white-clad legs and a prominent trouser area, reinforced the cover's brazen sexuality. "Sticky Fingers" was also the first album released on the Stones' own Rolling Stones Records label, with the distinctive tongue-and-lips logo designed by John Pasche.

The third Factory at 33 Union Square West was Warhol's base from 1968 to 1984 and one of the most culturally productive addresses in New York art history. The building currently houses retail and office space. Union Square itself — now a busy commercial and transit hub — has changed beyond recognition from its Factory-era character. The Warhol museum in Pittsburgh holds the definitive documentation of his creative output across all media.