Big Brother and the Holding Company Poster
Tendril-like letters twined about a heart, a frequent Griffin motif used here as a symbol of brotherhood and life source, advertised Big Brother, an abbreviated reference to 'brotherhood', and Santana at the Fillmore West.
The 1st printing poster was printed before the concert. There is a significant deal of steady variation in the blue background throughout the print run, which ranges from bright turquoise to dark blue. It measures 14" x 22".
The 2nd printing is on smooth glossy stock and has a Wolfgang's Vault notation in the lower right hand margin. It was printed in 2008 by the Bill Graham Archives LLC in a 500 copy run. This reprint measures 20 3/8" x 32 1/4".
The 3rd printing is on smooth opaque cover stock and has a Wolfgang's Vault notation in the lower right hand margin. It was printed in 2016 by the Bill Graham Archives LLC in a 500 copy run. This reprint measures 14" x 20".
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.