Woodstock 1969 Posters
The iconic Woodstock 1969 festival poster, designed by Arnold Skolnick, has become one of the most recognized images in American cultural history. The white dove perched on the neck of a guitar against fields of color has defined the visual identity of the Woodstock era.
The official Woodstock 1969 poster by Arnold Skolnick
The Story Behind the Poster
Arnold Skolnick was a young graphic artist in New York when he was commissioned to create the Woodstock festival logo with just four days to work. The brief was simple: peace, music, freedom. The result was one of the most enduring images in American culture.
The dove — a universal symbol of peace — sitting on the neck of a guitar naturally united the two themes of the festival. The warm, earthy colors and the folk-art simplicity of the design perfectly captured the spirit of the counterculture era.
Skolnick had no idea the image would become what it became. "I thought I was designing a festival poster," he has said. The poster was used in all Woodstock promotional materials, on the documentary film, and has since been reproduced on hundreds of millions of t-shirts, mugs, and prints worldwide.
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Find reproductions of the iconic Woodstock dove poster, framed prints, canvas art, and vintage-style Woodstock prints on Amazon.
The original Wallkill, NY poster
The Wallkill Poster — A Rare Piece of History
Before Woodstock became Woodstock, it was planned for Wallkill, New York. A separate poster was created advertising the original venue. When the town of Wallkill banned the festival just weeks before the event, the organizers scrambled and found Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel.
The Wallkill poster is now a rare collector's item — most people have never seen it. It predates the iconic Skolnick dove design and represents the chaotic, last-minute scramble that nearly prevented Woodstock from ever happening.
Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock
Jimi Hendrix Woodstock Posters
Jimi Hendrix closed Woodstock at 9am on Monday morning, August 18, 1969 — playing to a crowd a fraction of the 400,000 who had been there at the peak. His performance, including a legendary psychedelic rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, is one of the most celebrated moments in rock history.
Poster reproductions of Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock are among the most popular Woodstock collectibles.
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