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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El Salvador : Mass of the Martyrs 1982 Poster is printed on light grey paper with black ink. On the left is a drawing of a woman carrying a baby in a blanket with a distressed look on her face. The poster reads from top to bottom: "...	U.S. out of S.E. [Southeast] Asia now! 1974 Poster is printed on blue paper with yellow and red ink. In the center of the poster is a large solid red outline of a bird with its wings outstretched. The poster reads from top to bottom in...
Holly Near : Songs of Victory and Struggle : Benefit concert for Chile and Vietnam 1975 Poster has a background of red, white, orange, yellow and black circles that have a center image of a butterfly resting on a larvae with chains. In a red circle around the butterfly is "Nothing...	Holly Near : Songs of Victory and Struggle : Benefit concert for Chile and Vietnam 1975 Poster has a background of red, white, orange, yellow and black circles that have a center image of a butterfly resting on a larvae with chains. In a red circle around the butterfly is "Nothing...
Rally for Chile 1975 Poster has a black and white image of a man wearing a miner helmet with light, but it is split in half. The top edge has red printing that reads, "Bay Area Trade Union Conference Rally for Chile...	Demonstrate for peace Saturday February 6 1971 Poster has a background image that is a stylized United States flag at a diagonal in the upper portion. In the middle of the poster is an image of a people crowded together and marching. The lower...
Vietnam will win c.1970 Small white poster with a black image of a Vietnamese man wearing a hat and raising a gun above his head with one arm. He has an expression of yelling on his face. Below the image is "Vietnam will...	Presenting an Evening of Solidarity with the Nicaraguan People c. 1978 Poster has an orange background image of two young girls standing against a wall. Above them is a sign that reads, "Viva La Revolucion" in purple that fades to orange. The top right of the...
Out now: Stop the bombing 1967 Black poster with a white border along the bottom. In the black area is yellow telescoping lettering that reads top to bottom, "Out now stop the bombing march against the war april 22 los angeles...	Puerto Rican Solidarity Day - Oct. [October] 27 c. 1974 Poster has a light blue background with a black outline of Puerto Rico in the center. Over the country outline are several red, white and blue belts that have restrictions the U.S. government has...
Expo Cuba Chile '74 [1974] 1974 Poster has a red background with a brown bar in the center with a white image of North America and South America, and Cuba and Chile highlighted in red. Around the countries are people leaning...	Puerto Rico : Independencia [Independence] c. 1976 Poster has an image in black of a group of men holding guns and machetes, two Puerto Rican flags and one Cuban flag. They are standing on an outline of Puerto Rico. Above them is "Puerto Rico"...
America Wake-Up : Fidel Castro is a Threat to the Peace of the Western Hemisphere! c.1970 Poster has a center image of South America and Cuba with many weapons, missles and boats with Soviet emblems on them. Fidel Castro is drawn wearing a red animal suit and wearing a red cap with a...	Stop war: Join peace vigil 1966 Small poster that has red background with white border and lettering. Poster reads from top to bottom in white lettering, " Stop War/ Join/ Peace Vigil/ Since Aug. 7, 66/ Port Chicago Weapons...
Posters of Revolutionary Cuba 1975 Poster has a blue background with many white swordfish repeated in rows along the bottom edge. The top edge of the poster has "Posters of Revolutionary Cuba" printed in red. The center...	Peace not poverty 1967 Poster has a dark blue background with orange text. The upper left corner has a round logo with CNP in the center. The poster reads, "Peace not poverty/ Avakian- Harawitz/ Nielands - Kaldenbach/...
McGovern: Carole King- Barbara Streisand- James Taylor: In Concert 1972 Poster has three black and white drawings of Carole King, Barbara Streisand, and James Taylor in the center. The drawings are just of each person's head. Below is a music bar with "McGovern"...	Haya education [S.I.Hayakawa] circa 1969 Poster has a large white border with a light blue rectangle in the center. In the blue area is a black police baton with red blood dripping off the end. Below in large white lettering is "...
(silhouette of Hayakawa kissing Reagan's bottom) c. 1969 Poster has a dark blue background with white figure silhouettes. The silhouette is of a nude man wearing cowboy boots with spurs and a cowboy hat bending over. This figure represents Ronald Reagan...	(quotes by William Norris) c. 1969 Poster has pink and yellow text that is accented by pink and dark green bars. The poster reads, "A servant of the people has to obey the people and in this case the trustees are the people- Max...
a is for africa Poster-Film Collective (UK) ~ workshop c. 1975 Poster has a yellow background with black text at the top and bottom and two images in the center. The image on the left shows three figures digging around a brown hole and has "workers...	(Andy Warhol exhibition) 1977 Poster has a large image of Mao Tse-Tung in the center in red, dark purple, and black. Below the image is "Andy Warhol" printed verticaly in red lettering. Next to this is "september 9th/ thru...
Iron Men, Steel Rail: Track Labor and the Art of Mark Priest 1996 Poster has an image at the top center with black text below. The image shows several men in hard hats holding on to a long pole in the center of railroad tracks. The are in the opening to a tunnel...	The 10th anniversary of the founding of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine 66-67 c. 1977 Poster has four images of a gun in blue, red, tan and yellow in the center. The upper right corner has a small logo with Arabic writing in blue. Below the Arabic is "The 10th Anniversary of the...