Political Posters

The “All Of Us Or None” (AOUON) archive project was started by Free Speech Movement activist Michael Rossman in 1977 to gather and document posters of modern progressive movements in the United States. Though some early works are included, its focus is on the domestic political poster renaissance that began in 1965 and continues to this day. When Rossman died May 12, 2008 his family donated the collection to the Oakland Museum of California. More …

The Archive gathered posters from all streams of progressive activity — from movements of protest, liberation, and affirmative action, trade union and community struggles, to electoral and environmental organizing, community services, and visionary manifestos. It is strongest in work from the San Francisco Bay Area, but its scope is national: approximately one-quarter of its holdings come from out of state, primarily New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. These are complemented by a representation of international work. The collection consists of approximately 24,500 distinct titles.

The collection includes examples from well-known graphic artists including Malaquías Montoya, Emory Douglas, Rachael Romero, Rupert Garcia, Yolanda Lopez, Favianna Rodriguez, Carlos Cortez, Nancy Hom, Juan Fuentes, and Jos Sances, as well as material from seminal collective workshops such as La Raza Silkscreen, the Royal Chicano Air Force, Japantown Art and Media, Kearny Street Workshop, and Inkworks Press. Perhaps more important, the depth and breadth of the collection reveals the contribution of numerous lesser known or even anonymous artists whose cumulative impact on this democratic public art form has yet to be properly understood.

The cataloging of the AOUON Archive was made possible by a generous grant from the Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation.

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Nowhere else on earth Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster with photograph of a person kayaking near coastals islands. Most of image is orange colors. At right, text about the environment in coastal British Columbia.	Undersea Song 1986 Laminated poster has a blue printed background. At the top is "Cherish Out Land And Sea" in blue followed by a color image of fish swimming around a coral reef, with an island visible above the...
It's Not The Same Without Pelicans Henry Gibson, author, Teresa Woodward, artist 1970 Poster with horizontal bands of color, a poem along the right side, and an illustration of a pelican.	The Fin Whale General Whale, publisher, L. Foster, artist 1975 Poster with a drawing of a fin whale in the top half, with a girl at left to show size comparison. Below is a long narrative about fin whales, with illustrations of fin whale anatomy. In the...
The Great Gray Owl Braldt Bralds, artist 1986 Poster with 3.5-inch white border and reproduction of a paint of a great gray owl in the bottom half, with Half Dome and the sky, and pine trees in Yosemite National Park.	King Penguins: Environmental Defense Fund Jody Boyman, photographer, Pomegranate Publications, publisher 1990 Poster with white 1-inch border and thin blue border, with photograph of three king penguins standing on rocks. Below is text in black and gray.
Birds of a Feather Jerry Downs, artist 1988 Poster with text along bottom in a navy blue border and reproduction of a Jerry Downs illustration of many different kinds of birlds in a tree, flying in the skiy, and on the water and ground.	Untitled F.D. Atkinson, printer, Jocelyn Burt, photographer Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster with .75-inch freen border and thin orange border , with photograph of tree ferns in Wilsons Promontory National Park in Victoria, Australia.
Fern Gully: The Last Rain Forest 1992 Poster for the motion picture Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest. White background with colorful illsutration of a female fairy in red clothing, a male fairy in yellow playing a flute, and a fruit...	The Fund for Animals New York 1986 Poster with a 1.5 inch white border and a reproduction of the Dorcas Moulton painting titled "Emily Ralph Fatty & Peaches," depicting four black cats on a concrete surface. Small tufts of...
Extinct is forever. Friends of Animals, publisher, James Grashow, illustrator Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster with black line drawings of animals (auagga, northern kit fox, Labrador duck, cape lion, passenger pigeon, giant ottter, aye-aye, giant panda, longtailed ground roller, Galapagos giant...	The Mexican Gray Wolf Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster with beige border and illustration of a Mexican gray wolf in a diamond shape a top center, superimposed on top of a horizontal illustration of two wolves in grassy area, with prickley pear...
Fourth Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals Pieter Arend Folkens, artist 1981 Poster with a black and white illustration of a killer while on a white background, with information about the conference below.	Save the Seas Friedensreich Hundertwasser, artist, Harcourts Gallery, publisher 1982 Poster with a black background and "Save the Seas" in royal blue across the bottom. Image is of a Friedensreich Hundertwasser painting with gold and silver windows/bosxes, green faces, and areas...
Untitled (Fractal Dolphin) Athena International Ltd, publisher, Jurgen Ziewe, artist 1994 Poster with rainbow colored fractals spiraling from the center and going out to the edges, with dolphins also spiraling along the fractal pattern.	Cetacea: The Sixth Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals Pieter Arend Folkens, publisher 1985 Poster with black and white images on a white background of various marine mammals with their names and scientific names below. Verso has more images and a few paragraphs of text at bottom right...
Ano Nuevo State Reserve Keenan Ward, publisher, photographer 1983 Poster with 2-inch gray border and photograph of seals on a beach at Ano Nuevo State Reserve. Shoreline with cliffs and plants and ocean in the background.	Pacific Coast Sea Otter Keenan Ward, publisher, photographer 1987 Poster with a 2 inch white border and color photograph of a seat otter in the ocean, half above water.
The last Sanctuary Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster with large whale coming out of the ocean water and smaller whale below. A moon with a face and stars are in a pink sky. Border is orange and red with fish, shells, swirls, and starts.	Bookshop Santa Cruz Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster shows a black line drawing on white background of a whale on the shore saying "Save Me", with two walking figures with a dog in front of the whale.
Save the Whales - Save the Earth Green Peace Foundation, Project Jonah Late 20th Early 21st Century Two sperm whales (one full size and one smaller) with light blue background just behind them and white background on the rest of the poster.	The Nature Company 1988 Poster has gray printed edges. At the top is a color image of two whales - one adult, one young - swimming in shallow blue water beneath the moon. In the bottom edge is "The Nature Company / Don...
Neotropical Rainforests Celestial Arts, publisher 1990 Right side of poster has color illustration of a rainforest scene from above showing tree tops with animals in the trees. The left side has a black background with a color pattern at the top and...	Southeast Asian Rainforests Celestial Arts, publisher 1991 Right side of poster has color illustration of a rainforest scene showing ca tiger standing on the forest floor, with other animals in the background and trees. The left side has a background of a...