History and Background

On 26th May 1986 in a London studio, a poster was shot on a shoestring budget of a male model cradling a newborn baby. Named 'L'Enfant' (the child), it became the biggest-selling poster in British history, selling five million copies. Paul Rodriguez, artistic director of Athena poster shop chain, conceived the idea...

The shoot took only 20 minutes. The man in the shoot was 23-year-old model Adam Perry, and the featured baby was Stelios Havatzios. The poster became an iconic image of the 80s, symbolizing the 'New Man'...

Curse of the Poster

While the poster was a huge success, those linked with it reportedly suffered ill fortune. Paul Rodriguez, who conceived the poster idea, became HIV positive and died in 1993. Photographer Spencer Rowell faced financial struggles...

The model, Adam Perry, received a flat fee of £100, which he felt was a rip-off. Despite the poster’s success, Perry lamented his lack of financial gain from it...

Revival

In the 90s, Third Planet Poster Company recreated the 'Man and Baby' poster with model Ian Roberts, selling over 2 million copies worldwide. Unlike the original poster, participants in the revival fared better in life...