Is This the Model on Converge's 'Jane Doe' Album Cover?

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Oct 6, 2021

Converge are celebrating 20 years of their landmark metallic hardcore album Jane Doe, and two decades on from its release, listeners may have finally learned the identity of the woman pictured on its recognizable cover art.

Multiple outlets point to an Instagram post made September 30 by French model and actress Audrey Marnay, who points out that the pose struck by the woman on the cover of Jane Doe looks similar to a photo of herself published in the May 2001 issue of Marie Claire Italy, shot by Jan Welters.

Marnay's post also features photos of the Jane Doe face on mugs, T-shirts and tattooed on Converge fans, and she wrote to one commenter how "crazy" it was to be featured on the front of such a celebrated record. The model adds in the caption, "Hi CONVERGE, it's 'JANE DOE,' Shall we talk!? 🤔."
Jane Doe's artwork was designed and created by Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon, who previously told Revolver in 2014 that the visuals were made using media, collage, photography, spraypaint, and ink that he would then assemble digitally.

Today, Bannon confirmed that Marnay's 2001 photo was "definitely one of the sources" for the album's artwork.

"Most of my work always been collaged cut/paste based (and still is). Hundreds of images were xeroxed and repainted/inked in a loose style to create the release artwork. This process is similar to everyone from Shepard Fairey to Francis Bacon," the frontman explained of his style. "Over time my work has evolved into something more much more refined, but the roots will always be in this style. I wonder if folks will still insist that it is actually from the cover of Slayer's Reign In Blood?"

Bannon continued: "The original goal was to create ghost-like forms that embodied the concept of Jane Doe. In recreation identifiers are removed from physical forms, making all humans become relatable and stoic. We see what we want to see in them, and often times, it's a reflection back onto our own life experiences, etc."

Last week, Converge announced collaborative new album BLOODMOON: I, which marks the follow-up to 2017's The Dusk in Us

Reflect on 20 years of Jane Doe with Exclaim!'s Converge Timeline feature.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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