Mariora Goschen (born 11 October 1957) is a British acupuncturist and practitioner of Chinese medicine, who gained notoriety at a young age for appearing topless on the cover of Blind Faith's self-titled LP, released in 1969 when she was just 11 years old. This iconic cover image, captured by photographer Bob Seidemann (1941–2017), sparked considerable controversy in the UK and was deemed nearly pornographic by audiences in North America. In his 2007 autobiography, Eric Clapton recounted how major retailers threatened to boycott the album's release, prompting ATCO Records to quickly issue an alternative cover in light of the band’s approaching nationwide tour. As a result, many pressings of the Blind Faith LP outside the UK featured various censored artwork; however, after RSO's significant worldwide reissues in 1977, subsequent editions typically reverted to the original cover.
Bob Seidemann, a close friend and flatmate of Clapton, was a respected music photographer known for his work with The Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin, among others. His concept for the album cover involved depicting a naked young girl, symbolizing the age of Shakespeare's Juliet, as a "tree of life" fruit holding a shiny spaceship—a material object from the "tree of knowledge," representing human creativity expressed through technology. Initially, Seidemann intended to photograph Mariora's older sister, Sula, whom he met on the London subway, but ultimately chose Mariora instead. He visited the Goschen home with Stanley "Mouse" Miller, another friend and Clapton's roommate, to seek parental consent. At the last minute, he decided on Mariora, who was compensated £40 for her modeling work instead of the promised pony (equivalent to approximately £860/$1120 in 2025 currency). In a 1999 version of his essay, Seidemann mistakenly claimed that Clapton's manager, Robert Stigwood, had purchased a horse for Mariora, suggesting initial ignorance of the situation.
The band’s label had reservations about the cover, recalling past controversies involving other artists, such as The Beatles and their infamous "butcher" cover, as well as The Mamas & The Papas and their "toilet bowl" incident. Even as late as December 1968, Decca rejected a proposed cover for a Rolling Stones LP that depicted restroom graffiti, opting instead for a plain-text design, viewing the original as being in poor taste. With age-appropriate nudity still considered provocative for mainstream artists, several albums were sold in brown paper wrappers or outright banned by retailers. Despite these concerns, Clapton urged Polydor to approve the 'risque' design for all markets, suggesting that the band's name and tracklist be printed on shrinkwrap stickers instead of the cover itself. The Blind Faith LP was released in early August 1969, although Mariora was not credited in the liner notes.
In the UK, the Polydor editions featuring the uncensored gatefold cover created a mild stir, with some journalists questioning the spaceship's shape, which they deemed "phallic." Anticipating greater backlash, Polydor preemptively created an alternative artwork featuring centerfold images for the cover and back. However, the uncensored LP remained readily available, resulting in the less striking black-and-white version becoming a rare collectible. In the US, the ATCO Records edition initially retained the same artwork on a non-gatefold sleeve. Following widespread outrage, the label quickly reissued the album with a black-and-white cover featuring the band's photo and an etched design, leading to the "girl cover" versions becoming sought-after by collectors, mirroring the situation in the UK. European pressings from Polydor in 1969 all featured censored artwork, with some titled "That's Blind Faith." From 1970 to 1975, sporadic reprints in the US and Europe continued to feature mostly censored covers, including yet another variant released by the German label Karussell. CD editions from Polydor/RSO since 1986, with a few exceptions, generally included the original cover. The 2001 2×CD "Deluxe Edition" featured a partially obscured image by the plastic O'card, likely a coincidence due to the standardized design.
In later years, Goschen occasionally spoke with the press about her experience. In a 1994 interview, she expressed that nudity had never troubled her, as she was largely unaware of her changing body at the time. As an adult, she remarked that she was "thrilled to bits" when fans shared their memories of purchasing and listening to the Blind Faith LP. Reportedly, Goschen never met any members of Blind Faith; she humorously claimed to still be waiting for Clapton's call regarding the promised horse.
