California Hall 2/4/66

Prior to the start of the numbered Family Dog series, there were a few Family Dog-produced concerts held at various locations, including Longshoreman’s Hall, The Open Theater in Berkeley, and California Hall. These are numbered in the Eric King guide with an FD and roman numerals. This image is designated FD-VII. Most of these early designs are somewhat crude and all are quite rare. This particular image was designed by Michael Ferguson and George Hunter of the group The Charlatans. Hunter and Ferguson were involved in the design of a number of early posters from the psychedelic era - most notably this image and the one known as “The Seed” from the Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City, NV.

Much care is needed when purchasing this image to verify the authenticity. Most of the handbills we have seen have been forgeries and there is a seller on eBay who claims to have been given several copies by both Chet Helms and Michael Ferguson. Frankly, the handbills he sells are not very good copies, but when accompanied by his story, I am sure that he has taken a number of people.

The original poster was printed on off white stock and measures approximately 15″ x 20″.

The Type A handbill was printed on white stock and measures approximately 8″ x 11″.

The Type B handbill was printed on tan/yellow stock and measures approximately 8″ x 11″.

The common forgery handbill is printed on an almost orange stock and measures approximately 8″ x 11″. On the forgery, much detail is lost and the area to the left of George’s head is nearly completely black, where it exhibits some clean white lines on the real deal.