Pink Floyd Woolwich Polytechic 22 March 1968 poster

Introduction

Researching posters is often a complex, though exciting, task, with numerous questions posed and discoveries often made. For example, are they originals or copies; who were the artists and printers involved; what technique was used; how rare are they? The present writer has written numerous articles addressing such questions, and been involved in exhibitions and events featuring posters. His special interests has been those connected with movies, music, the counterculture movements of the 1960s and 1970s, and specific artists such as the Australian Martin Sharp. A poster which brings together a number of these elements, along with the issues mention above, concerns that for a Pink Floyd concert at the Woolwich Polytechnic on 22 March 1968. It is a typical psychedelic image, feature a mix of collage and fonts. As Pink Floyd was known at the time as an experimental, psychedelic rock band, and their concerts featured light shows and the use of drugs such as LSD, the poster reflects some of that in its design, and follows on the concert posters seen in the west coast of America since 1966, coming out of venues such as the Avalon Ballroom and Fillmore East. A number of British artists had followed this trend, using bright of flourescent colours and Art Deco design elements, especially influenced by Aubrey Beardsley. The design of the Woolwich Polytechnic poster was especially busy. This is commented upon further below, under The Artist? section.

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The Poster

A copy of the poster sold at Bonham's auction house, London, on 16 November 2022 for £3,570 (illustrated above). The description provided at the time of sale was as follows:

Pink Floyd: A Rare 'Rites Of Spring All-Niter' Concert Poster

22nd-23rd March 1968, at the Woolwich Polytechnic, London, top left corner with a snipe, artist uncredited but stylistically owes much to posters of the time by Martin Sharp, printed in brown on white, 20in x 30 1/4in (50.8cm x 76.8cm).

Footnotes: Pink Floyd appeared at 2.00am and due to poor publicity, it is reported that fewer than fifty people were in the audience.

A large digital image was included which enabled closer study of the poster. In this instance it showed signs of use - tears on the corners, a hole in the sticker on the top left which makes reference to the concert details. The poster was printed in a single colour - sepia (brown) and the dimensions - 20 inches x 30 inches - was the most common size present in British movie and other posters, either in landscape or portrait format. All in all the information present addressed the first question: Was it original? The answer was yes, and this therefore explains the premium price obtained at the auction for the poster, though it was 'damaged.' The latter is quite common with rock concert posters from the 1960s as they were ephemeral items, printed before the event to promote it and, as such, often posted on walls, telegraph poles, in shop windows, and on the walls of fans after the event. As a result, of those initially printed, few survived, either in mint or used condition. Due to the immature state of the rock industry at that time, only perhaps 100 - 200 copies of this poster may have been printed, thus accounting for its rarity.

The Pink Floyd Archives site also includes reference to the poster and a description therein, once again point to its history and genuine pre-concert promotional aspect. The description therein is as follows:

 

Date & Venue: Main Hall, Woolwich Polytechnic, Woolwich, London, England, March 22, 1968

Bands: The Pink Floyd, Pepperpot Trad Jazz Band, Johnny Farowe.

Poster Size: 30 3/8" x 20"

PT: .036"

Notes: A poster the Pink Floyd show at the Woolwich Polytechnic in London, England on March 22, 1968. The artwork suggests that this poster may have been drawn by Martin Sharp, although I have been unable to verify this. It certainly has his influence all over it. This poster has been found with the ticket (?) for the event glued to the top left corner of the poster:

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The Artist?

The identity of the artist responsible for this work is unknown. As noted above, stylistically and thematically it is similar to the work of Martin Sharp at the time, and has tenetatively been attributed to him. However, the present writer does not believe he is the artist responsible, though it is clear that the design is based on his work. The following are some of the reasons for this opinion.

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References

Pink Floyd: a rare 'Rites of Spring All-Niter' concert poster, Bonhams, London, 16 November 2022. Sold for £3,570.

Pink Floyd - January-June 1968 - Posters and Handbills, pinkfloydarchives.com, accessed 4 October 2025.

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Last updated: 4 October 2025

Michael Organ, Australia