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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Advance the Spirit of the May 4th Movement 1973 Poster is printed on red cardstock. In the center are drawings of four people wearing blue and orange clothing and linking arms. The poster reads from top to bottom in black, "Advance the Spirit...	Viva La Huelga [Long live the strike]: asian students support UFW [United Farm Workers] 1969 Poster has a drawing in the center of man wearing a hat and a scarf in red and black. To the left of the man is a yellow silhouette of people with flags and signs. To the right of the man is an...
Ku Klux Klan: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and Forever c. 1970 Small poster with a drawing of a klan member on a horse that is rearing. The top has "Ku Klux Klan" printed in large black letters. The bottom edge has "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and Forever"...	Wanted by the Thieu regime c. 1972 Poster is printed on dark gray paper with red printing on one side and orange printing on the other. In the center of the poster is an image of the face of a young man with long hair smiling. The...
Indochina Peace Campaign c. 1968 Poster has a large image of a pink and green Chinese looking dragon in the center with small pink flames around it. Above the image is "Indochina" printed in pink outlined letters. Below the...	Viet Nam Day Committee benefit presentation : Spontaneous Sound 1965 Poster is printed on cardstock with a yellow background and has a dark blue geometric print border around the edge. Inside the border is blue and red printing. The poster reads from top to bottom...
A revolution is a work of art [Fidel Castro quote] c. 1970 Poster is printed on white paper and has an image of a purple guitar crossing a purple gun with a green marijuana plant in front of them. On the left of the guitar is a purple fist in front a box...	One World Many Fronts : Support the Liberation Struggle of the Omani People Poster is printed on yellow paper has an image of three heads in the center. Above the heads is a wrench being held in a fist. The background is green and black on the left. The right has "One...
Committee for National Liberation in the Middle East Presents a Cultural Evening 1974 Poster has a blue and white image of the heads of several women wearing checked scarves. The top area of the poster reads in blue, "Committee for National Liberation in the Middle East presents a...	Bloody Sunday: A Commemoration c. 1975 Poster has an image in the center of a man laying dead in a pool of blood. Smaller in the corner are two people leaning over a dead person. The top has "Bloody Sunday" (the January 30, 1972...
To Aid Internees Families in Ireland: Hooley Dance Party 1972 Poster is printed on recycled tractor feed computer paper. The bottom has a green drawing of a man and woman in traditional Irish clothing with a green decorated border. Ireland Jusitce is printed...	Black '47 (Irish Potato Famine) c. 1985 Refers to the 1847 Irish potato famine. Poster has a black and white image in the center of a raised fist wearing a broken metal cuff with two chains attached. Under the fist is "black" printed in...
Jews of Conscience, Speak Out Against US Support for 60 years of the Occupation of Palestine Hanan Kaminsky Circa 1997 Poster has a light turquoise silhouette of the tops of buildings in Palestine covered by barbed wire and a white dove on the left. The top area has black Hebrew text with "after all we have...	Unity with the Chilean People's Struggle Small poster with red and blue images. The left has an image of a human figure reaching up to place a white and red star. The right has an image of people standing and holding signs and below is...
My Lai : We lie : They die Jeff Kramm ~ artist 1970 Poster has a background that fades from green to yellow to orange with an image of a muscular man on the right. The man is naked except for a gas mask on his head and an orange eagle tatoo on...	I.S.A.N.C. [Iranian Students Association & Arab Students in North California] May Day 1974 Poster with an image of a group of men walking all raising one arm. On the left is a red tower with a fist at the top that has black smoke with Arabic writing in white. The bottom has more Arabic...
Kampuchea Will Win! Poster has an image of several men and women at the bottom wearing hats and red and white checkered sarves and carrying guns. In the background are stairs and green trees and tall mountain or...	Imperialism: Third World Solidarity c.1980 Poster is printed on light blue paper with black ink. In the center is an image of three soliders from behind. One is wearing a conical shaped hat and holding a gun, the other is wearing a...
The Revolution and Socialist Construction in China [lecture] 1972 Poster has images of male and female Chinese factory workers in black and red on the right side of the poster. The left side of the poster reads from top to bottom, "The Revolution and...	Peace on earth: The Madonna of the Napalm 1967 Poster has a center drawing that has two figures in the center made to look like the Madonna and virgin child. The Madonna image is of Lyndon B. Johnson holding the virgin child who is in a...
Frelimo PAIGC MPLA Zapu ANC: Breaking the Chains c. 1972 Small poster with a drawing of a chain diagonally across the center being intersected with a red spear that is breaking the chain. In the chain links are printed words, minority rule, apartheid,...	Support the Armed Struggle to Free Zimbabwe! c. 1972 Poster has an outline of Zimbabwe with a man in a miner's helmet holding a pick axe in the center. The top of the poster reads, "support the armed struggle to FREE ZIMBABWE!" in turqouise. The...
Scheer for Congress: Stop the war 1966 Poster has an overall black and white photograph of a young boy leaning against a wall that has a large hole in it exposing the wood framework. Poster reads in white printing from top to bottom, "...	Rally for a Free Chile : Isabel Allende : Isabel Letelier 1978 Poster has an image of a femal wearing a black shirt with one arm raised with her hand in a fist. There is a red cuff at the end of the sleeve. The top center of the poster reads, "Rally for a...