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.

View results as Grid View results as List Browse Full Collection Advanced Search

Dhuluaya, Iraq: Late September 2003 2003 Poster is stenciled with spray paint. The background is of several green palm trees with bown bottoms. The top edge reads in brown, "Dhuluaya, Iraq late September 2003." Below in red is "Blaring...	Free Huey [Newton] 1995 Poster as a light blue image of "Huey Newton" in the center with black text. The top edge has "Free Huey" printed in large black lettering. The bottom reads, "March Monday July 15/ 9 AM from...
Witness for Peace Easter 1961 Irving Fromer 1961 Poster has a blue square at the top center with a tan and green leaf intertwined in the center. Around the edge of the square is "Witness for Peace Easter 1961" printed in tan and...	Viva La Raza: National Chicano Moratorium : Aug [August] 29 1970 Poster has a black background and beige border overall. Center of poster has a drawing of stylized human hands arranged to form a mountain or triangular form. At top is a fist with the text Viva...
A Fighting Example! / Un Ejemplo Militante! n.d. Poster has a blue background. Poster has a stylized drawing of three male figures shown from the torso up. The figures are shown standing or walking in a line carrying pink flags. All three...	Fiesta Del Barrio [Block party] ca 1974 Center of poster has stylized drawing of a woman in profile from the shoulders up; she is wearing a red hood. To the right of the woman is a stylized drawing of the sun in yellow. From top to...
Witness for Life c. 1963 Poster has a brown sqaure at the bottom with a green tree on top and a white tree reflected in the center. Around the square's border are phrases relating to nuclear weapons ban. The top has "...	Pete Seeger sings: Port Chicago Vigil 1967 Yellowed poster with black drawn image of a man holding a banjo on the left. The man has on a striped button down shirt, white pants, and black shoes. The poster reads from top to bottom in...
Boycott Grapes & Lettuce nd Poster has a red background overall. At top is a field of created by a very fine black and red checkerboard pattern. Over this field at left is a white circle that has the United Farm Workers...	Fight racial profiling 2000 Poster has a black and white image of a person being arrested on the left and a tan background on the right. The poster reads, "driving while black or brown DWD is not a crime/ fight racial...
Con o sin documentos somos trabajadores: Tenemos derechos: Hacemos la riqueza [With or without documents, we are workers, we have rights, we create wealth.] c. 1980 Poster is printed on yellow paper with black text and red images. In the center are three red gears. The center gear has a chimney with smoke and the right gear has three chimneys with smoke. The...	The Soviet Union Needs You! Support a U.S. "Nuclear Freeze" 1982 Poster is in black and white with an image in the center of soldiers marching in frong of a building. The poster reads from top to bottom in white lettering, "The Soviet Union Needs You!/ Support...
Disarmament Arts Festival Steven Lyons circa 1982 Poster has a yellow background with an image of a person standing in a white bio-hazard suit holding a painter's pallet and a paintbrush. Next to the person is "Disarmament Arts...	Alcatraz Indian Land Joseph Leo 'Indian Joe' Morris c. 1975 Poster has a tan background with black text and image. In the center is an outline of Alacatraz island with prominent landmarks noted. Around the outline is a short history of the island, and...
Modify Mon$anto [Monsanto] c. 2002 Poster is printed on brown paper. In the center is a red dotted border around an ear of corn. Across the drawing is "Modify Mon$anto" printed in cream colored lettering.	Berkeley City Council election 1971 Poster has a black and white photograph of four men and one woman all grasping hands in the center. Below the people in the photograph are names: D'Army, Ilona, Ron Dellums, Rick, and Ira. The...
For all time c. 1971 Poster has a black background with a sylized drawing of the photograph of soldiers planting the flag at Iwo Jima. The drawing is in bright green and dark turquoise. The flag has a large peace...	Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown c. 1968 Poster has a large black and white photograph of Edmund Brown's head. He is wearing a dark suit and glasses. Below the photo is a dark blue bar with large white text. It reads, "Governor Edmund G...
We support the blockade [of] Livermore Lab 1982 Poster has an image of a barbed wire fence with missiles behind and green buldings in the background. In front of the fence and missiles are people holding hands in purple. The poster reads at the...	Autumn harvest uprising c. 1970 Poster has a drawing in the center in red. The drawing shows people holding machetes and spears and dressed peasant clothing running through a field. In the center is a large communist flag....
An evening of support for Southern African liberation 1972 Center of poster has a green outline of Africa with red text in and surrounding it. In the outline reads, "An Evening of Support for Southern Africa Liberation Wed. April 26 7PM." The left side...	Boycott Gulf c. 1973 Poster has a black background with a large black and white photograph in the center. The photo depicts several men standing around in shorts and no shirts. The man in the center is holding a...
Viet Nam: Palestine: Peoples' War: Peoples' Victory c. 1974 Poster has two outlined heads in the center. On the left is the head of a Vietnamese person wearing a conical shaped hat. On the right is the head of Palestinian woman wearing a checked head scarf...	Oaxaca: Alto a la represion [Stop the repression] 2007 Poster is printed on red paper with black text and image. In the center is an image of female figure walking towards a line of police. The bottom center has a large fist. The poster reads, "Oaxaca...