The Dion Gallery Web Site - Fine Art Sales in Barre, Massachusetts

Picture discs come in three sizes:

Picture discs debuted in the early 1930's, when various materials were used
experimentally for advertising. Following the introduction of colored vinyl,
picture discs started to appear in the 1970's.

These discs were made by including a very thin decal at the pressing stage,
which then molded into the record surface and became a permanent part of the disc.
Often times, pictured discs and colored substrate materials were combined.
Sometimes the images were meant to create an optical illusion while the record
was rotating on the turntable; others used the visual effect to add to the music.

One notable aspect of many picture discs is that the decal material degrades the
sound quality quite noticeably, as it introduced a higher level of surface noise.
As Vogue Records proved decades earlier, this need not be the case,
if a high grade transparent shellac or other material is laminated over the image.

Picture discs fell out of favor in the early 1980's but have recently
regained some popularity.

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