THE LEGACY OF BILL GRAHAM
AUTHENTIC POSTERS
INCREDIBLE PHOTOGRAPHY!

Big Brother and the Holding Company Poster

Big Brother and the Holding Company Poster
Print Variations
The Zig-Zag image was one of the first rock posters to be pirated and sold after the concert. Chet Helms was so annoyed by the trafficking that he had a "Genuine Counterfeit" stamp made, and he and Family Dog staffers stamped as many copies as they could find.
The pre-concert 1st printing A is 14 1/4" x 19 15/16" on vellum and shows "The Bindweed Press San Francisco" in the lower left hand corner. All the lettering was done in metallic pewter.
The 1st printing B is 14 1/4" x 19 15/16" on vellum with the same Bindweed Press notation, but the lettering on this version is mustard yellow. It was also printed before the concert.
The 2nd printing is 14 1/4" x 19 15/16" on vellum, the Bindweed Press notation is visible, and "14(2)" is added to the left of the "(c) Family Dog '66" credit in the bottom right hand corner. This reprint was produced after the concert.
The 3rd printing is 13 7/8" x 19 15/16" on index and has "14(3)" to the left of the Family Dog '66 credit in the bottom right hand margin. This post-concert printing omits the Bindweed Press credit.
About Stanley Mouse
Born in Detroit, Stanley Miller became known as "Mouse" after illustrating countless notebooks with his signature rodent sketch. Miller found an outlet for his creativity in pin-striping cars and airbrushing hot rod designs on posters and T-shirts. Mouse migrated to San Francisco in 1964, where he first met the artists associated with Family Dog, the organization producing dance concerts at the Avalon Ballroom. With collaborator Alton Kelley, Mouse experimented broadly with composition, lettering and imagery: Kelley came up with the ideas and Mouse executed the designs. Mouse and Kelley helped to establish the psychedelic style of expression under the name Mouse Studios.