Youngbloods; Mount Rushmore; Phoenix; Henry, William

Original Concert Poster: Youngbloods, Mount Rushmore, Phoenix (February 16-18, 1968)

San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Productions, 1968. First Edition. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 14" x 19&7/8") announcing a series of three "Dance Concert(s)" headlined by the Youngbloods, along with Mount Rushmore & Phoenix, during February 16-18, 1968 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. The American artist William Henry, of whom we could not obtain any information except the interesting fact that he was very young at the time (see King's commentary below, & for our item No. 6149), created the artwork & graphics reproduced here, & "BILL HENRY..." in facsimile black capitalized hand-lettering is found below dark purple border/ "San Francisco" near lower right corner (see image). According to the Talmudic scholarship we have consulted regarding this poster, it is a first-&-only printing. King, FD-106-OP-1, pg. 170. King writes: "The central image is an upside-down photograph of a woman's face. This is framed by three-dimensional lettering which creates the effect of rows of the same letter behind each other moving progressively towards an imaginary vanishing point at the center of the photograph. Although the artist who created this poster, William Henry, was only in high school at the time, and this particular work was heavily influenced by Victor Moscoso (the great Spanish-American artist b. 1936), this is not simply a copy of Moscoso's style or use of color. The three-dimensional effect of the stacked letters as well as the tunnel effect toward the photograph coupled with the alternating colors of the rays which form the borders created an image which was very advanced and original for someone this young." (pg. 170) We emphatically agree with King's assessment of Henry's artistry. King has simply entitled this poster "One Hundred Six," its number in the Family Dog series. A striking, eye-&-mind-blowing, unique exemplar of psychedelia from early in the year following that of the "Summer of Love," in its singularly rarest contemporary form. As we wrote regarding our item No. 6149, we hereby reach out to Mr. Henry: If you're still with us as of this writing & happen to read this curation, please let us know a little about your adult life since you created this stunning poster! From the collection of Dion Wright (b. 1937), an acclaimed artiste & sculptor who was at the center of the scene that produced this & the many other outstanding posters that symbolize a fabled time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5916). In our sharp-eyed (if somewhat dazzled) & seasoned estimation, this poster is in relatively near-fine-verging-on-fine condition (& priced accordingly) with only a touch of wear & some tiny bumps, creases at/from edges & corners; small area at upper right edge/corner/right side edge with small chips resulting in slight loss of paper esp. at corner-side edge, light-to-moderate spot-staining mostly at outermost border of pink & blue lines (again, see image); several tiny circle-dots near upper edge (undoubtedly miniscule flaws as issued). The vast majority of printed recto, other than noted above, appears completely bright & substantially mint. This item is too delicate to be rolled & must be shipped flat to assure no damage, therefore extra shipping charges will be required. Near Fine- Fine. [Item #6289]

Price: $100.00