Big Brother & the Holding Company; Sir Douglas Quintet; Kelley, Alton; Mouse, Stanley; Steichen, Edward

Original Concert Poster: Big Brother & the Holding Company, Sir Douglas Quintet ("Gloria Swanson," October 15-16, 1966)

San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Productions, 1966. First Edition, Third Printing. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 14&1/4" x 20") announcing a concert with performances by Big Brother & the Holding Company, along with the Sir Douglas Quintet, during October 15-16, 1966 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. The acclaimed American artist Stanley Mouse (b. Stanley George Miller, 1940) created the artwork & graphics reproduced here, in collaboration with the noted American poster & album cover artist Alton Kelley (1940-2008, known as "Kelley"), & "Family Dog (c) 1966 Mouse! Studios (logo)" in facsimile hand-lettering, numbering & illustration is found just below the lower border of image near curved left corner (see image). According to the Talmudic scholarship we have consulted regarding this poster (which is similar in its depth to that of our underground comix from this period), this copy is a third printing, with "No. 30-3" & "1967 © Family Dog Productions 639 Gough St., San Francisco, Calif. 94102" fine-printed below lower border of image at white lower margin; & blank verso with mild fluorescence under black light (which we have verified). King, FD-30-RP-3, pg. 81. King writes: "The central image is a photograph of the face of the actress/ movie star Gloria Swanson covered with a lace veil. This 1924 Edward Steichen portrait of Swanson with her large round eyes and mysterious stare is a perfect example of what was considered a beautiful, captivating woman in the late 1920s and early 1930s which is exactly why Mouse and Kelley chose it." (pg. 82) Thus King's title of this poster as "Gloria Swanson," with its iconic image of the glamourous Swanson by the iconic photographer Steichen. Another unforgettable, much-reproduced relic of the early psychedelic era that would come to full flower the following year during the "Summer of Love," in its third-rarest, singularly special near-contemporary (what with the "1967" reference, unless this was a mistake?) form. From the collection of Dion Wright (b. 1937), a most respected & prolific artiste & sculptor who was at the center of the scene that produced this & the many other collectible posters that symbolize a legendary time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5008). In our Sharp & Seasoned estimation, this poster is in relatively very fine condition with only light rubbing, browning esp. to thin blank margins/edges (border, images & letters are bright & substantially mint); a bit of wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners. This item is too delicate to be rolled & must be shipped flat to assure no damage, therefore extra shipping costs will be required. Very Fine. [Item #5346]

Price: $110.00