Big Brother& the Holding Company; Quicksilver Messenger Service; Oxford Circle; Moscoso, Victor; Hillyard, Roger; Seidemann, Robert; van Meter, Ben; Gurley, James

Original Concert Poster: Big Brother & the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Oxford Circle (February 17-18, 1967)

San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Productions, 1967. First Edition. Single Sheet. An oblong poster (appx. 20" x 13&15/16") announcing the "Second (Annual) Tribal Stomp" concert with performances headlined by Big Brother & the Holding Company, along with the Quicksilver Messenger Service & Oxford Circle, during February 17-18, 1967 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 great American poster & album cover artist Alton Kelley (1940-2008, known as "Kelley"), & "Mouse Studios (logo)" in facsimile hand-lettering & illustration is found inside the upper wing of lower right decoration just inside border of image (see our image). Also credited for "Lights" are Roger Hillyard & Ben van Meter. Hillyard (b. 1942) was highly involved with the exemplary psychedelic light shows of this era, later became the proprietor of a popular coffee shop & most lately the practicing resident of a Zen Buddhist center- all in San Francisco. Van Meter (b. 1941) was also a major light show producer & noted experimental filmmaker at this time, & still engages in cutting-edge creativity as of this writing. 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 poster is (we believe) likely a second printing, according to its dimensions & relatively matte (as opposed to glossy) finish. King, FD-48-RP-2, pg. 105. The presence of "No. 48-1" fine-printed near lower left corner does not itself determine this as a first printing, since all Family Dog poster printings mistakenly have the "-1" designation beginning with the 44th production, as King notes in that entry. The surface here does seem to us a bit glossier than others in the FD series, perhaps faded with time closer to matte; & the dimensional differences between the first & second printings per King are minute- so while we lean toward declaring this a second printing, you the purchaser must make the final judgment. King writes: "The central image is a photograph of James Gurley of Big Brother and the Holding Company taken by Bob Seidemann. Gurley is wearing bead work and a feather in his hair in Native American fashion." (pg. 106) Gurley (1939-2009) was the lead guitarist of the legendary band fronted by Janis Joplin; & Robert Seidemann (1941-2017) was a noted American graphic artist & photographer, known especially for his countercultural & musical portraits such as this during the 1960s-1970s. Another iconic example of the earlier psychedelic style that would fully blossom later that year during the "Summer of Love," in its penultimately rarest (perhaps very rarest) contemporary form. From the collection of Dion Wright (b. 1937), a most respected artiste & sculptor who was at the center of the scene that produced this & the many other bold & beautiful posters that symbolize a fabled 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 slight rubbing, occasional light staining at mostly blank light-brown margins outside main image (which is 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 #5547]

Price: $300.00