Skull and Roses/Grateful Dead, Oxford Circle, Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco

1966
Alton Kelley & Stanley Mouse

The skeleton and roses on this iconic Mouse Studios poster came from a 19th-century illustration in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a book of 11th-century Persian poems the artists discovered in the public library. “We were fishing in the past, bringing up old stuff that should be seen again,” said Mouse. This image eventually became an emblem for the Grateful Dead.

For more on this poster, including lesson plans for teachers and their students, visit our Creativity Resource website.

Partial gift of David and Sheryl Tippit; partial purchase with Architecture, Design, and Graphics Department Acquisition Funds; and Volunteer Endowment Funds in honor of R. Craig Miller; Family Dog © 2009 Rhino Entertainment.