Yardbirds Handbill
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Deep into the psychedelic age, poster artist Lee Conklin took the notion of visual hallucination to a whole new level with his twisted, writhing images of figures, faces, and hands morphing into... what is that thing, anyway? This concert poster for the Yardbirds is especially notable, as it promotes one of the last appearances by the famed group before Jimmy Page led them into the New Yardbirds, who then, of course, became Led Zeppelin.
The handbill measures 4 5/8" x 7 1/8" and displays a calendar of upcoming Bill Graham events on the reverse. It was printed before the concert.
There were also some pre-concert double-sized mailers printed that were conjoined with the BG122 image (see BG121/122). They measure 4 5/8" x 14 1/4".
Lee Conklin's early influences were pen and ink masters Heinrich Kley and Saul Steinberg.After seeing articles featuring Wes Wilson's poster art, Conklin was inspired to visit San Francisco and show his art to Bill Graham. Conklin was soon commissioned to do posters and produced 31 original designs for the Fillmore between 1968 and 1969. Conklin rendered both graphics and calligraphy in intricate detail. What began as a personal challenge to disguise images within images and lettering soon turned into a concerted effort to turn every single letter and figure into another form, stretching the imagination to new limits.