- Title: A Puff of Kief in the Morning Makes a Man as Strong as a Hundred Camels in the Courtyard
- Author: Berkeley Bonaparte
- Date: 1967
- Condition: Very Good - laid to linen, some age related toning
- Inches: 14 7/8 x 20 1/4 [Paper]
- Centimeters: 37.78 x 51.43 [Paper]
- Product ID: 308576
This poster was created by American artist Rick Griffin (1944–1991) and published by Berkeley Bonaparte, a collective established in 1967 by Griffin along with fellow artists Stanley Mouse, Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso, and Wes Wilson. The group became a leading force in the production and promotion of psychedelic posters that defined the visual culture of rock concerts, dance halls, and countercultural events of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Printed during the famed Summer of Love in 1967—a moment marked by anti-war protest, spiritual exploration, hippie ideals, and hallucinogenic experimentation—Griffin’s A Puff of Kief lithograph captures the spirit of the era. At once playful and subversive, it reimagines vintage tobacco advertising to reflect the humor, creativity, and cultural rebellion of the psychedelic movement.
Background on Creator
Berkeley Bonaparte was a Bay Area poster art company and collective founded in 1967 by five influential artists: Rick Griffin, Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso, Stanley Mouse, and Wes Wilson. Known as the “Big Five,” they developed a significant following for their striking poster designs promoting local rock concerts, dance events, and other countercultural gatherings, particularly at iconic venues like the Fillmore Auditorium and Avalon Ballroom.
The group helped popularize psychedelic poster art within youth culture, pioneering the use of vibrant colors, surreal imagery, and inventive typography that became synonymous with the era’s rock music scene. Berkeley Bonaparte’s posters were widely distributed, advertised in underground newspapers and mainstream publications, and soon adorned the walls of countless college dormitories and homes across the country.