Paul's Boutique

Paul's Boutique is named after a shop that never existed. For the cover, the Beastie Boys hung a "Paul's Boutique" sign over a real clothing store, Lee's Sportswear, on the corner of Rivington and Ludlow Streets on Manhattan's Lower East Side, then photographed the block as if the boutique had always been there.

The panoramic picture, which wraps across the front and the gatefold, was taken from 99 Rivington Street looking down Ludlow Street. The sleeve credits it to Nathanial Hörnblowér, an alias of Adam Yauch, but the photograph was actually taken by Jeremy Shatan, the group's original bassist from the days when they were called the Young Aborigines.

Like the album's dense collage of samples, the image rewards long looking at its ordinary street detail. The corner became a pilgrimage site for fans, and after years of debate the intersection was officially named Beastie Boys Square on 9 September 2023. The album was released on 25 July 1989.