This collection contains paintings, drawings, and sketches by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, ranging from small pieces to oversized paintings of over six feet wide. Also included are posters collected by Ferlinghetti and of his events, and some photographs of Ferlinghetti taken by Leigh Weiner. Unprocessed materials include brochures, programs, and flyers from events, newspapers, and some correspondence; color transparencies and slides, negatives, and photographic prints; and audio and video cassettes.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti was a poet, writer, artist, and proprietor of San Francisco bookstore and publishing house City Lights Books. Born in 1919, he was the author of "A Coney Island of the Mind" (1958), one of best selling poetry volumes in American history. In the 1950s, Ferlinghetti published Allen Ginsberg's hallucinatory anti-establishment manifesto "Howl" and subsequently stood trial on obscenity charges. City Lights Books, and Ferlinghetti himself, became closely associated with the Beat poets and the San Francisco counterculture of the mid to late 20th century. Ferlinghetti passed away on February 22, 2021, at the age of 101.

46 Linear Feet 7 flat boxes, 3 roll boxes, 5 photo boxes, 4 cartons, 5 oversize canvas paintings, 4 map case drawers

Copyright for the items in this collection is owned by the creators and their heirs. Reproduction or distribution of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether a use is fair use, and to obtain any necessary permissions. For more information see UCSC Special Collections and Archives policy on Reproduction and Use.

This collection is partially processed and is open for research. Audiovisual media is unavailable until reformatted. Contact Special Collections and Archives in advance to request access to audiovisual media.