Description:

Bob Dylan
Cambridge, MA, n.d. [ca. 1965]
Bob Dylan 10 Original Doodles on Placemat During Trip with Joan Baez, a Unique Rarity, Great Provenance!
Manuscript

A paper placemat from The Window Shop restaurant featuring numerous hand drawn doodles and sketches by Bob Dylan. 1p, measuring 12.5" x 9.5", Cambridge, MA, ca. 1965. The page features over 10 illustrations in Dylan's unmistakable style, among them a snake entangled with the word "fight", the profile of an unknown subject, a pair of unblinking eyes, and a cat with a seemingly human face. Indeed, the shape and composition of the offered profile sketch is largely reminiscent of one of Dylan's acrylic paintings exhibited at the Halcyon Gallery in London from May-July, 2025, as well as on a major music dealer's website (listed at $60,000). At center is a printed illustration of The Window Shop's façade, declaring its location in Cambridge "at the sign of the Village Blacksmith". Exhibits moderate creasing and staining throughout, with at least four pressure indentations not affecting sketches. Isolated tearing present at upper left corner with smaller, negligible tears present near outer margins. Otherwise, very good.

This item was acquired by our consignor in late summer 1965 while they were working as a waiter at an upscale restaurant near Harvard Square. A childhood acquaintance of Joan Baez, who grew up in nearby Belmont, MA, they had been in junior high while Joan was a senior in high school. The two had previously connected in adulthood at the 1963 March on Washington, and had not seen each other again until she and Bob Dylan stopped at the establishment off of Harvard Square. Our consignor states, "They were seated at my table and Joan warmly exclaimed… and proceeded to engage me in gossip about friends from Belmont and from the March." They go on to remember Dylan as being "visibly aggravated" at being ignored by Joan during the encounter, and thus vented his feelings by doodling on a placemat which he took from the nearby Window Shop.

The date of the Dylan-Baez visit in question came just weeks after the first "Electric Dylan" controversy, in which the singer was booed off stage at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival when he came out with an electric guitar. The print depicted on the placemat shows a side view of the Dexter Pratt House- a historical heritage site located on 56 Brattle Street in Cambridge- a mere five minute walk from Harvard Square. The Pratt House itself holds a rich history, having been bought by Mary Walker, a formerly enslaved woman from North Carolina, in 1870. It was later the site of The Window Shop, a nonprofit created by a small group of women wanting to help immigrants fleeing Europe, which operated from 1939 to 1972. Indeed, with their strong connection to activism and civil rights during this time, it is unsurprising that Dylan and Baez stopped here for a souvenir. The consignor's correspondence through email will be included.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 12.5" x 9.5"
  • Medium: Manuscript

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Bid Increments
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$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000