%C2%A9 Chet Helms DBA Family Dog Productions. All Rights Reserved
"Skull and Roses," Grateful Dead, Oxford Circle, September 16-17, Avalon Ballroom, 1966
Color lithographexpand_more
Gift of Paul Maurer and Scott Westexpand_more 2019.59.27
Not on Viewexpand_more
Though not the Grateful Dead’s first association with a skeleton—that credit goes to Wes Wilson’s May 1966 poster The Quick and The Dead—Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse’s adaption of Edmund J. Sullivan’s 1900 illustration of a skull and roses was the one that became best known. Originally created to accompany an English translation of a 12th century Persian poem about the inevitability of death, Sullivan’s illustration became one of the Grateful Dead’s most recognizable icons. The image was later solidified in the band’s discography (music publishing history) when Kelley and Mouse reused it for the cover of the group’s seminal 1971 live album titled Grateful Dead.
Details
- Title
- "Skull and Roses," Grateful Dead, Oxford Circle, September 16-17, Avalon Ballroom
- Artist Life
- 1940–2008
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2019.59.27
- Provenance
- Paul Maurer, Minneapolis; given to MIA, 2019.
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Family Dog 26
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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© Chet Helms DBA Family Dog Productions. All Rights Reserved