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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untitled (portrait of a man) 1965 Poster printed on white paper. At the top is a stylized, multicolor portrait of a man with a long beard. At the bottom center of the poster is black Cyrillic text.	Aujourd'hui l'ecologie Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster printed on white paper. At the top is a stylized, multicolor image of nature, with a sun at the top left overlooking a mountain and forest scene, with fish at the bottom and the silhouette...
NAGARA Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster printed onw hite paper. At the top is a multicolor diagram with "NAGARA" in red at the top left. In the top left corner is a yellow oval with "Save The River / NAGARA / Gawa" in blue. At...	Reykjavik 1986 Poster printed on white paper. At the top is "Reykjavik" with information on the Soviet-US summit on a nuclear-free era, in blue. At the top right is a stylized image of a dove with a hammer and...
untitled (flag) 1987 Poster printed on white paper with a stylized orange image of a clock tower with a red socialism/communism flag waving over the top. At the top left is "1917-1987" in red. At the bottom is red...	Stop Torture in Korea 1986 Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a stylized blue, black and white image of a masked figure with a baton standing on one hand on the body of a smaller figure. At the top left is white...
untitled (banner on table) 1987 Poster has a blue/black background. At the top is white Cyrillic text, which translates roughly to "for life". At the bottom is a green, globe-shaped table with a blue banner with a white dove...	Bienestar Social Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster printed on white paper. At the center is a stylized, multicolor collage of images of human figures. At the top left is "a problemas sociales / soluciones comunales" in orange. At the top...
untitled (figure in a gas mask) 1982 Poster printed on white paper with an image of a gray film strip. In the central frame is a stylzed black dotted image of a figure in a helmet and gas mask holding two severed heads with the...	1917 1987 Poster has a red background. At the top is "1917" and Cyrillic text in white and larger Cyrillic text in red. At the bottom is a white image of the profile of a man in a hat.
untitled (photos in film strips) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has black ink printed on white paper and is presented like a film strip, with black and white photos of dead bodies in the frames. At the top right is Cyrillic text, which translates to "...	Energia Dolce Per L'Europa Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a silver background with blue lines at the top and bottom. Black text at the center starts with "E/E / Energia Dolce / Per L''Europa / Convegno / Internazionale / Roma" with information...
untitled (film strip images) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has black ink printed on white paper and is presented like a film strip, with black and white images of injured children in the frames. At the top left is black Cyrillic text, which...	Landless 1971 Poster printed on white paper. At the top is a multicolor, stylized image of two figures on the bank of a body of water, with one kneeling down. At the bottom of the poster is "Landless" in black...
To-Day Unemployed 1971 Poster printed on white paper. At the top is a stlyized, multicolor image of a man, woman and infant walking through a puddle. At the bottom of the poster is "To-Day-Unemployed" in black.	untitled (soldiers) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster printed on white paper. At the top is a stylized red image of men in hats with moustaches standing together with bayonettes at their sides. At the bottom is a blue stylized image of...
untitled (soldiers) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster printed on white paper. At the top is a red stylized image of men in hats standing together with bayonettes at their sides. At the bottom is a black and white stylized image of soldiers on...	untitled (man holding red flag) 1986 Poster has a multicolor, stylized image of a man in a red hard hat holding up a red flag with yellow Cyrillic text on it (something about socialism) in front of steel framework for a large-scale...
Rivoluzione Fino Alla Vittoria 1972 Poster has a blue background with orange text and a stylized image of a man holding a gun at the top left. At the top right is "La Rivoluzione Palestinese / E''Un Anello Della / Rivoluzione...	Untitled 1974 Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a multicolor, stylized image of a white boat floating on blue and green swirling waves beneath a red, orange and pink sky with purple and pink clouds....
Nicaragua Late 20th Early 21st Century Oister has blue and black ink printed on white paper. At the center is a stylized image of a man in a hat with bullets on a holster around his neck and a gun in his hands. On his chest is a...	untitled (images in stars) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has an orange background. At the bottom are overlapping red stars with stylized images of industry - farming, science, construction, etc. At the top is red foreign text.
untitled (star) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster is shades of red, yellow and purple, with a central star. At the top is red Cyrillic text.	Festival de Oposicion 1978 Poster has a blue printed background. At the top is "II Festival de Oposicion / Mexico DF / 12-14 de mayo de 1978" in white. At the bottom is a color image of a hand grasping a pink circle with a...