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 in the desert counting on his fingers) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster shows a man standing on dirt with brown rock cliffs rising up behind him. The man is in a blue shirt and pants and holds out his hands counting on his fingers. At the right is a wodden...	untitled (figure crouching among smoke) 1976 Poster has a color illustration showing an Asian figure in military uniform crouched in the dirt as smoke floods around his feet. Two figures in the background look inquisitively on, frozen in...
untitled (Mao Zedong in green uniform) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has red printed edges with an unprinted white background. At the top is a color illustration of Mao Zedgon standning at a railing wearing his green military uniform with red star cap and...	untitled (Mao Zedong) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has white unprinted borders enclosing a red background with yellow Asian text down the left and right sides. At the center is a color illustration of Mao Zedong wearing a gray suit walking...
untitled (aerial view of river cities) Late 20th Early 21st Century The left and right sides of the poster have color illustrations with pink Asian text above them. The images show life along a flowing river. On the left edge of the left image near the bottom is...	untitled (field of chickens) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a color image of chickens roaming a green field being fed by figures near the top right. Centered at the bottom is "Brigade Chicken Farm" and...
untitled (figures observing and celebrating) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a color illustration showing a crowd of Asian figures sitting and standing while observing some event out of the frame. Some play instruments while others wave red flags. Centered below...	untitled (communist tree) 1981 Poster has white unprinted borders enclosing a color illustration of a tree with a red hammer and sickle communism logo on the trunk. Behind the tree, the suns rays shine in the orange sky. White...
untitled (child offering water to street sweeper) 1974 Poster has white unprinted edges enclosing a color illustration of a child handing a mug of water to a woman on a bicycle-operated street sweeper. At the left two other (male) children stand near...	untitled (figure in the water) 1970 Poster has a color illustration showing a male Asian figure with water crashing down around him. The man has his mouth open as if shouting and his right arm extanded behind him. Down the right...
untitled (Mao Zedong) 1969 Poster has a color illsutration of Mao Zedong smiling. Below the image is red Asian text.	untitled (men in uniform walking down a street) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a color illustration showing men in red star army uniforms marching down a street and waving at the crowds that have gathered to watch the "parade". Below the image is red Asian text...
untitled (family gathered around a newspaper) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has unprinted white edges enclosing a color illustration showing an Asian family sittin gon a wood and cinder block platform gathered around a newspaper and smiling. Down the top right side...	untitled (parade celebrating Mao Zedong) 1969 Poster has a color illustration showing a group of people walking down a crowd-lines street holding up a portrait of Mao Zedong. The crowd is celebrating with smiles on thier faces as balloons...
untitled (crowd waving red flags) 1976 Poster has a color illustration showing a crowd waving red flags gathered around a platform with an image of Mao Zedong. Across the bottom of the poster is red Asian text.	untitled (figures pointing bayonets at a crowd) Late 20th Early 21st Century Top of poster shows a stylized black image of workers pointing their sharp bayonets toward figures at the bottom right. At the bottom left is a red graphic. Across the bottom of the poster is red...
untitled (Mao Zedong) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a white unprinted edge at the bottom and a red background. At the top left is a floating, stylized head of Mao Zedong. At the right is white Asian text. Across the bottom is a black...	untitled (Mao Zedong) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has white unprinted borders enclosing a red background. At the top is a color illustration of Mao Zedong in a gray suit smiling and waving. Below the image is vertical yellow Asian text.
untitled (man stabbing a figure through paper) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a stylized red and black image of a man at the left lunging forward with a sharp weapon stabbing a paper and, behind the paper, a figure at the bottom right. In the background, a crowd...	untitled (Mao Zedong riding in a car through a crowd) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a color illustration of Mao Zedong riding through a crowd in the back of an automobile. The crowd reaches out with red books in their hands trying to touch Zedong. Across the bottom of...
untitled (crowd holding a flag with the face of Mao Zedong) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a color illustration of a crowd of workers with objects relevant to their occupations (i.e. a farmer has a bundle of crops and a scythe, etc.) standing below a red waving flag with the...	untitled (Mao Zedong) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a black and red illustration showing Mao Zedon''s smiling face floating in a red circle in a white sky with red rays. Below Zedong is a crowd of people with their arms raised and smiles...
untitled (Mao Zedong) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a red and black illustration of Mao Zedong''s head floating in a white circle in the red sky. On the ground, figures rush toward the head waving red books. Centered at the bottom is red...	untitled (figures banging on drums) Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a black and red illustration of two male figures banging large drums in the foreground with a female playing the symbols in the behind. In the background a faceless crowd celebrates,...