John Van Hamersveld - Indian Chief T-Shirt Women

John van Hammerveld Recalls “I found the Indian image there on 7th Street and Coronado Avenue in a "Junk Store" along the sidewalk, a few doors down from Mc Manus and Morgan, where I bought exotic papers for my art classes. Honeya my art school girlfriend pointed to the pile of photos, suggesting I should take a look. As I shuffled throughout the images, I found four Indian pictures; There was one I liked of a young Native American man. He seemed to be looking at me, there was something... Read More

John van Hammerveld Recalls “I found the Indian image there on 7th Street and Coronado Avenue in a "Junk Store" along the sidewalk, a few doors down from Mc Manus and Morgan, where I bought exotic papers for my art classes. Honeya my art school girlfriend pointed to the pile of photos, suggesting I should take a look. As I shuffled throughout the images, I found four Indian pictures; There was one I liked of a young Native American man. He seemed to be looking at me, there was something good about him and felt a connection between us. That was 1967”.

The images first incarnation was as an art print with no text created on 9-28-68, as 500 prints for the promotion of John’s Kingsley Graphic Studio (see photo below).

The "Jefferson Airplane Album Cover" he was working on at the time, was a hit image then as a music store package to promote the band, who were traveling in Europe and America 1968.

Next came the poster (right) for Jefferson Airplane pinnacle performace. Which is featured in the ‘Art of Rock’ book, along side his Pinnacle Shrine Hendrix Poster.

Later that year John went to New York to pick up royalties owed for the distribution of the “Endless Summer Poster”, and popped by to see Andy Warhol, and gave him one of the Indian Poster Prints.

The poster remained in the The Warhol Foundation archive collection, for reference to JVH’s work in the 60s. Hide