This cut-out of Oscar Wilde was used in the cover art photograph of The Beatles' album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The artwork for this album won designers Peter Blake and Jann Haworth the 1968 Grammy Award for Best Recording Package, Graphic Arts. It featured the Beatles themselves wearing day-glo military-style outfits, surrounded by lifesize cardboard cut-outs of their heroes including writers, musicians, film stars and a number of Indian gurus. Wilde's face can be seen seventh from the left in the third row down. The collage also featured Madame Tussaud's wax-work figures of The Beatles as they appeared in the early 1960s.

Peter Blake (b.1932) and Jann Haworth (b.1942) assembled the collage over two weeks at the end of March 1967, and took the cover shots in a three-hour session on March 30. Blake was chosen for the shoot by The Beatles' art director, Robert Fraser (1937-1986), as Fraser was a leading champion of British modern art in the 1960s. Blake was one of the best known British pop artists, with his paintings including imagery from advertisements, music hall and wrestlers, often using collage elements. He combined this pop culture aesthetic with direct references to other artists' work. The iconic sleeve he created for Sgt. Pepper led to requests for album artwork from other musicians, such as The Who, Paul Weller and Oasis.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish playwright and author, known for his searing wit. He became one of the most celebrated playwrights of Victorian London, and, despite suffering a dramatic downfall after being convicted of "gross indecency" with other men, his plays continue to be performed regularly to this day.