Grateful Dead; James Cotton Blues Band; Lothar & the Hand People; Wilson, Wes

Original Concert Poster: Grateful Dead, James Cotton Blues Band, Lothar & the Hand People (November 18-20, 1966)

San Francisco, CA: Bill Graham, 1966. First Printing. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 13&1/4" x 21") announcing performances presented by the legendary impresario Bill Graham (1931-1991), headlined by the Grateful Dead, along with the James Cotton Blues Band & Lothar & the Hand People, during November 18-20, 1966 at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. The acclaimed American artist Wes Wilson (1937-2020) created the graphics & illustrations reproduced here, & "(c) Wes Wilson 1966 . 38" in facsimile hand-lettering & numbering is found at lower right margin just below yellow border-line of image, just under "Auditorium" (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 first printing, one of three simultaneous original variations: King, BG-38-OP-1,-2,-3, pg. 365. We are fairly certain that this copy is in King's category of BG-38-OP-2, in which the blank verso shows "grayish Purple" under black light (which we have confirmed); there is an absence of a short, thin line at the upper left corner of the left arm of the "T" in "LOTHAR"; & to which the dimensions of the poster (as appx. shown above) most closely confirm. King writes: "The central image is a robed human figure extending a large peace symbol toward the viewer. This is the first image where the original printing bears the correct number (*No. 38 in the BG series)." (pg. 366) A particularly iconic relic of the early psychedelic style that would come to full flower (power) the following year during the "Summer of Love," in one of its three equally rarest contemporary forms. 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 magnificent posters that symbolize a legendary time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5008). In our ever-more-seasoned & relentlessly obsessive estimation, this poster is in relatively very fine condition with only a touch of rubbing to mostly blank gray margins/edges (image bright & substantially mint); very light wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners; two very short horizontal lines from upper right side edge with miniscule loss of surface paper at blank gray margin only; two short, faint vertical lines from middle lower edge with even less loss than above. 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 #5406]

Price: $2,500.00