Between the Covers

Unbound. Original promotional concert poster. Measuring 13 10/16" x 22 7/16". Two small pieces of tape on the unprinted verso, a small tear at the bottom, and light bumping to the corners, very good or better. Three unidentified signatures. This is the original poster for what would become the most famous music festival in rock history. Created by David Byrd prior to the locals of Wallkill, New York banning the festival and forcing it to a new location. In the interim, Byrd was unavailable to design another poster and so the job went to Arnold Skolnick, whose simple rendition of a white bird resting on the neck of a guitar has become iconic. This more elaborate design, inspired by Ingres' *La Source*, was never circulated, with reportedly ten thousand copies printed only to be tucked away in a warehouse. The most curious aspect of this item are the signatures, none appear to belong to Byrd, and after comparing them to multiple collections of Woodstock performer autographs, we cannot come up with any matches. While there are known reproductions of this poster, due to the toning and the bit of foxing on the unprinted verso, its dimensions, and its white boarder with no markings, we believe this to be an original. A fascinating piece of rock history deserving of further study.

Item #611271