Conspiracy Classics: Is Aleister Crowley On The Cover Of Michael Jackson's "Dangerous"?

One conspiracy theory I often see popping up is that infamous occultist Aleister Crowley is depicted on the cover of Michael Jackson's album Dangerous (he's allegedly the Old Man on the bottom right of the cover).

This theory often is accompanied by a more extensive "MJ/AC" narrative involving souls sold for fame and black magick:




Is this true? Did Michael Jackson, much like The Beatles before him, include an image of Crowley on his album cover?

I'm all up for sinister conspiracy theories, but it seems far more likely that the image is that of P.T. Barnum.

P.T. Barnum and the "Old Man" on the Dangerous album cover

The reasons are as follows:

1. Michael Jackson idolized P.T. Barnum and his sense of spectacle.
2. The album cover has a circus theme.
3. Tom Thumb is standing on the old man's head. Tom Thumb worked with P.T. Barnum
4. The image of the old man looks more like Barnum than Crowley, though I will admit the hair resembles more the latter.

The mysterious Old Man with Tom Thumb on his head

That said, there is more than enough occult imagery on the Dangerous album cover to keep conspiratologists buzzing, such as the Masonic pillars, the nude girl standing on the hand holding an animal skull, MJ's all-seeing eye, and the (brrr) clowns.

The Dangerous album cover was painted by Mark Ryden, by the way -- no stranger to incorporating outré & occult symbols in his work.