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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Benefit Vietnam Summer Charles Fleischman 1967 Poster is printed on light blue paper with dark blue ink. Center of poster has a female head and bust with long wavy hair. The woman has a peace symbol on one cheek. The upper right of the head...	Guilty of murder : LBJ-USA Charles Brittin ~ artist c. 1968 Poster has a black and white image of a human skeleton with tail that has six fuzzy spider arms with skeleton hands. Around the spider are bones and skulls. Printed above the image in white is "...
(Nikki Giovanni poem excerpt) Afro-Arts Inc. ~ printer, Charles Bible ~ artist 1970 Poster has a black and white line drawing on the left of a young woman holding a large gun. Behing her are men with weapons. On the left is a long poem in lower case black lettering. It is...	Boycott killer Carbide! Chandranandan ~ artist, Vijay Fine Arts ~ printer 1984 Poster has a black background with light grey text. In the center is a drawing of a red Eveready battery with a 9. A cat with large fangs and blood dripping from its mouth is jumping through the 9...
Villages Invaded by the Guatemalan Army Cesar Montes ~ artist circa 1980 Poster has an image of a native representation in yellow red and green holding a large black gun. Along the top edge is "Pueblos invadidos por el ejercito/ Villages invaded by the...	Recycle! Ariel Parkinson c. 1975 Poster has a circle in the center that is made of various animals. In the cirlce are snakes, snails, birds, fish, butterflies, mice, dragon flies, rabbits, and plants. Below the circle is "Recycle...
The Politics of Vison Ariel Parkinson 1972 Poster has a large image of a black figure representing pollution. Around the body of the figure is a red hose that is spewing black liquid. Behind the figure are several building that are...	the politics of vision Ariel Parkinson 1972 Poster has a black and white drawing of a large monster in the center. The monster is squirting black liquid from a hose wrapped around its waste and is holding a bunch of circles in its other...
U.S. No. 1 California Marijuana Angel Goodbrick 1971 Poster has a background image of burlap fabrick. In the center is a green circle with a large red "A". In the center of the A is "g" and below is "brand" The poster...	Discover your past: The San Francisco Community History Project Andrew Woodd 1983 Poster has a red border with a brown and tan photograph in he center. The photograph shows several boys and girls stretched out in a funhouse mirror at Playland at the Beach. Across the top in...
Gay Youth of New York Aner, Come! Unity Press ~ printer 1980 Poster has a large yellow triangle with a pink triangle capstone. Over the triangle in green is, "Gay Youth of New York/ 80 5th Ave. 14th St. Sat. 1-4 P.M. Tel: 741-5800 Peer Rap For 21 Yrs....	Join the Young Workers Liberation League Andrew Marino 1977 Poster has a red background with a black and white line drawing of a man in the lower left corner. The upper right corner has a small circle with several fists and "Unite Against War, Racism...
(strike poem) Andrea Kantrowitz 1987 Poster has a light blue background with a drawing of a woman holind a baby. On the baby's chest is "La nina de maedelna" in black printed handwritting. Across much of the poster is...	Stop the Repression in El Salvador Andrea Kantrowitz 1986 Poster has a center drawing of a woman in black with a white headscarf holding a picture of a man's head in black and white. The background behind the woman fades from a dark blue to green....
Life is estatic: Intercourse between destruction and creation Anders Con 1992 Poster has an image in the center in black and red. There is a police car with a woman standing on the hood smashing the windshield with a sledge hammer. In the background is a building and a...	I am the Door Lawerence Ferlinghetti American Newsrepeat Company ~ publisher, Ernest Lowe ~ photographer 1967 Poster has a black and white photograph of Lawrence Ferlinghetti standing next to a light colored fence. He is wearing a hat and is holding his lapel with both hands. The fence has "I am the door...
Marin Youth for Action presents : Big Brother and the Holding Company and Quicksillver Messenger Service [...] Allan, Double-H Press 1967 Poster has a background image of a blue sky with an orange hillside that has seven orange outlined figures holding hands and playing instruments. Printed in orange lettering above the figures is...	Conference on the draft John H. Myers, Kenneth Patchen 1967 Poster has a white and blue border around the center image. The center image has a red background with blue ribbons and white star decoration. The poster reads from the top to bottom, "...
Labor United Against Apartheid Benefit Dance 1985 Small poster printed on yellow cardstock with green and red ink. The center has an image of several heads of African people on a green background. Next to the heads is "to support the struggle...	Angela Davis: "... as a black woman I feel an urgent need to find radical solutions..." Allen Zak, Berkeley Graphic Arts ~ printer c. 1970 Poster has a large black and white portrait photograph of Angela Davis. She is wearing a patterned top. In the background is an image of a man. Below the photograph printed in black is, "...
Reagan & His Cabinet Allen Cohen 1984 Poster is printed on white paper and has a black background. The background of the bottom half of the poster includes a brown sting or hair like patter over the black background. The top edge of...	Homenaje a Sandino en solidaridad con El Pueblo de Nicaragua [Homage to Sandino in solidarity with the people of El Salvador] Alfonso Maciel 1978 Poster is printed on brown paper with a red background that has three outline images of Sandino's head and body. The top edge has a black background with outlined lettering that reads, "Homenaje...
Continental Week of Solidarity with the People of Nicaragua Alfonso Maciel 1978 Poster has a red background on the top and a black background on the bottom. In the left center is an image of a man (Gral. Augusto C. Sandino) wearing a cowboy hat and boots with one leg propped...	Nicaragua : Patria Libre o Morir!!! [Independence or death!] Alfonso Maciel 1979 Poster has a red background with multiple soldiers holding guns in white in the center. The top edge of the poster has "Nicaragua Partria Libre o Morir!!!" printed in white. Below the center...