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 (man's face with an angry expression) 1968 Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a red background with yellow text. At the top is an illustration of a man''s face with an angry expression. Across the bottom are four lines of Russian...	untitled (1827 photo of a man) Late 20th Early 21st Century Top of poster has a yellowed, copied version of a photo showing a man with curly hair and sideburns in a collared shirt. At the bottom left of the photo is a name and the date 1827. At the bottom...
Weltfestspiele 1973 Poster shows four black and white hands releasing a blue dove outlined in red, yellow and green. At the top left is "W.eltfestspeile / der Jugend un Studenten / Berlin 1973 / Hauptstadt / der DDR...	Kampf dem Imperialismus 1973 Poster has a yellow background with a white and orange border, rounded at the corners. At the top left is a flower-like globe in black, orange and white. At the top center are right are black and...
untitled (star medal and tank) 1970 Poster has a red background. At the top center is a dangling star from a medal. At the top left is brown Russian text. At the bottom, a tank with a star on the side rolles to the edge of a surface...	untitled (Russian Lenin poster) 1988 Poster has red Russian text across the top. At the center of the poster is a black and white photo of Vladimir Lenin as a boy, with a caption in black to the bottom right. Below the image at the...
untitled (communist logo and ship) 1978 Poster has a central red image of the communist sickle, hammer and star. In the background is metal scaffolding with a worker at the left center. At the bottom is a brown battleship. At the top...	untitled (communism and the USSR) 1975 Poster has an unprinted white edge at the bottom with a red and orange background above. At the top is a gold colored seal with the communist sickle and hammer at the center. The seal is repeated...
untitled (1980 Olymic bear) 1980 Poster has an image of a stylized bipedal bear running with 1980 gold, silver and bronze medals in his right hand and flowers in his left hand. The bear wears a blue, yellow, black, green and red...	untitled (Olympics in the USSR) 1979 Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a dark red border with red and yellow swirling designs. At the center is a bright red background with an image of a stadium at the bottom with white...
Seremos Reivindicados Por La Historia 1978 Poster has a black and white background image showing a man in glasses and handcuff kissing a woman. At the bottom of the poster is "''Seremos Reivindicados / Por La Historia'' / XXV Aniversario...	American Pictures Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a black background with a central color image of an African American youth peeking through a hole in a white screen. Below the image is "American Pictures / Foundation for Humanitarian...
untitled (red star/Palestine) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a dark blue background with a central blue star with black and white images of male faces in small circles. Over the top of the blue star is a red star with a centered shape of...	The PLO Covenant 1978 Poster divided into nine equal sections - three rows/three columns. At the top center in a red box is "The PLO Covenant" in white. The central box has a gray background with a subsequent green/...
International Conference For Solidarity With The Iraqi People In Oil Nationalisation 1972 Top of poster has a yellow box with five interconnected blue diamonds. At the bottom of the poster is dark blue Arabic text, "International Conference For Solidarity / With The Iraqi People In Oil...	Programme Spatial Franco-Sovietique Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a white unprinted edge at the bottom and a black printed background enclosing a stylized color image of two astronauts floating in a pink and purple, star-spotted sky with the moon at...
untitled (smiling world with pigtail braids) 1984 Poster has a yellow background. At the top is a light blue globe with yellow, red, white and dark blue dots all over it and a smiling face with braids at the left and right with red bows at the...	untitled (sickle and hammer) 1984 Poster has a central stylized illustration of a red and orange hammer and sickle logo with orange, yellow, white and gray stars on the left side. At the right are rolling hills and grains in red,...
untitled (Lenin) 1988 Poster has a white background at the top, a red background down the right and a black and white image of Lenin at the bottom left. Across the top and at the right center is blackand white Russian...	Chaque Jour l'Humanit_ Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a green background at the top with a crowd of pink figures at the center and bottom. Across the top is "Chaque Jour / l''Humanit_" in pink and white. At the bottom is "70 ans / de lutte...
untitled (flower with a dove at the center) 1984 Poster has a central stylized image of a flower with five petals of different colors with a blue and white dove at the center. Across the top is blue Russian text. Below the image is blue Russian...	untitled (Mao Zedong) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a black, red and white image of Mao Zedong in uniform waving as a crown below him holds up red books and celbrated with signs, releasing balloons and banners into the red sky. Across...
Musclez Votre Culture! 1989 Poster has a beige background with "Musclez Votre Culture!" across the top in black. Downt eh left side is black French text. Across the poster are stylized images of muscular bodies in speedos...	untitled (women tending to pills and watermelons) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has white unprinted edges at the left and right enclosing a background of brown dirt. Growing inthe dirt are vines sprouting watermelons, yellow flowers, and red, yellow and green pills....