The cover of Supertramp’s 1979 album Breakfast in America is a whimsical, Grammy-winning masterpiece that reimagines the New York City skyline through a British lens on American culture.
The front cover is designed to look like a view of the New York City skyline (specifically Lower Manhattan and the Financial District) from an airplane window as you approach for a “Breakfast in America.”
Actress and model Kate Murtagh (then in her late 50s) portrays a cheerful diner waitress named “Libby.” She stands in for the Statue of Liberty, holding a glass of orange juice (on a small plate) in place of the torch and a foldable restaurant menu in the other hand (instead of the tablet). The menu prominently displays the album title. Her warm, slightly manic smile and “bingo wings” add to the charm and humor.
The buildings and landmarks of Manhattan are cleverly constructed from everyday diner and breakfast items—including a cornflake box (for skyscrapers), salt and pepper shakers, pancake syrup bottles, egg crates, cutlery, ashtrays, coffee mugs, and ketchup/mustard bottles—all spray-painted white to resemble buildings. This creates a whimsical, miniature model city.
The overall concept was developed by Mike Doud (art direction and concept) with design by Mick Haggerty. Photographer Aaron Rapoport shot the image.
The back cover continues the theme: It shows the band members (Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson, John Helliwell, Dougie Thomson, and Bob Siebenberg) eating breakfast in a real diner, reading newspapers from their hometowns, while “Libby” (Kate Murtagh again) serves them coffee. The photo was taken at Bert’s Mad House, a small café in Los Angeles near A&M Records.
This ties into the band’s situation at the time. Supertramp, originally British, had relocated to the US, and the album reflects their fascination with American life, diners, and optimism—blended with gentle British irony. Saxophonist John Helliwell noted that the cover expressed “with wry humor our mental and physical place at that time… living in the land of dreams and ambitions, and substituting the English transport café for the friendly diner.”
Designer Mike Doud explored various ideas combining breakfast and American icons (one rejected concept reportedly involved giant Cheerios rolling through Monument Valley). The Statue of Liberty and breakfast items idea was chosen, and Haggerty executed the intricate physical model with everyday objects.
The cover is widely regarded as one of the most iconic and clever of the 1970s. Its success aligned with the album’s massive commercial breakthrough (hits like “The Logical Song,” “Goodbye Stranger,” and the title track). Mike Doud won the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package in 1980 for this design.
In later years, the cover became the subject of an eerie 9/11 conspiracy theory. Theorists claim that when the cover is viewed in a mirror, the letters “U” and “P” in the band name “SUPERTRAMP” resemble the numbers “9” and “11” hovering directly over the Twin Towers. Additionally, the orange juice in Libby’s hand is sometimes interpreted as fire positioned near the towers. The band and designers have always maintained this was a total coincidence.
Despite the New York theme, the photo was actually shot in a studio in Los Angeles.
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