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 1st printing is identified by the presence of a small amount of pale brown ink in the top of the arrow-shaped tail that is right below the "M" in "Room". This original printing is just slightly darker than the reprint and measures 14" x 20". It was printed before the concert.
The 2nd printing lacks any brown ink in the arrow-shaped tail. It is a bit lighter in color, measures 14" x 20", and was printed after the concert.
About Rick Griffin
Rick Griffin grew up in the surfing culture of Southern California, a milieu which had a profound influence on his art. After high school, he worked on the staff of Surfer magazine and created the best-known surfing cartoon character of the time, Murphy. After his move to San Francisco in 1967, be began combining eclectic typefaces and decorative borders with brilliant colors in his concert posters. Griffin's compositions were complex without being illegible. A perfectionist, Griffin often applied dozens of overlays and redrew lettering again and again until he was satisfied. In the early 1970s, Griffin became a born-again Christian and religious themes dominated his work until his death in a motorcycle accident in 1991.