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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Solidarity with the Palestinian People: Support the PLO Tin Sheds Workshop ~ printer 1977 Small poster with a green and black background that has a white hand holding up a red torch. The torch is in the shape of Palestine. On the left in yellow lettering is "Solidarity with the...	Sisterhood Feels Good Times Change Press ~ printer 1971 Poster is printed on yellow paper with blue. It has a photograph of two women laying bed and covered by a blanket. There is an open window on the right and a table with a book on the left. Above...
March to Protest the Murders of Black Women: Boston, 1979 Red Sun Press ~ printer, Tia Cross ~ artist 1979 Poster has a black and white photograph of a group of women holding a banner. The banner reads, "3rd World Women We Cannot Live Without Our Lives." Below the photograph is "March to Protest the...	(Elizabeth Gurley Flynn quote) The Print Shop ~ printer c. 1975 Poster is printed on light blue paper with red text. The bottom right corner has a small circle with an outline of bread and roses. The circle reads, "Southern Clothing & Textile Workers Union...
Be a transformer: Evolve the new spirit The Transformer ~ publisher 1970 Poster has a drawing and design in dark green. The border has a moon design in each corner except the top right which has "Save the Earth" with a globe. In the top edge of the border is "Be a...	(four men's heads) The Graphics Community ~ workshop 1967 Poster is printed on brown paper with a neon pink background with green images. In the center are four men's heads in a circle with a flower in the center. The same images are layered in a lighter...
Funds for life, not death The Glad Day Press ~ printer 1973 Poster has a green background with a large circle in the center. The circle is blue on top and red on the bottom and has a figure in a dress jumping. A red bird outline is in the upper left....	Clear Creek The Company & Sons ~ printer 1971 Poster has a drawing of a happy waterfall and creek scene. There are lush green trees and bushes surrounding a sparkling blue creek. There is a fish jumping out of the water, and a squirrel and...
Country Joe & The Fish: At The Jabberwock Joel Beck ~ artist, San Francisco ~ publisher, The Bindweed Press 1966 Poster has a drawing of a green dinosaur being ridding by a naked a woman in the center. In front of her are a group of freightened men holding guitars. Around the drawing is a patterned border...	Michael McClure's "The Beard" Bob Fried ~ artist, The Bindweed Press, San Francisco ~ publisher 1967 Poster has a blue border around a red background. The top has "Michael McClure's The Beard" printed in red. In the center is a blue and white oval shaped photograph of a man and woman. Around the...
Michael McClure's The Beard: Flora [Florence] Schwimley Little Theater The Bindweed Press, San Francisco ~ publisher 1966 Poster has a blue patterned bordered square at the top with blue text in the middle. The text in this box reads, "Love Lion, Lioness/ Grah Ord Gloom Claw/ Rose Silver Silver/ Gahr the Rooh...	Announcing the Opening of...The Cin_math?que Coffeehouse Terr_ ~ artist c. 1967 Poster has an film strip in the center with a bright pink background. In the pink area is a black outlined head of a woman with a white star over one eye. Next to her are multilpe black and...
Help Us Stop Them: Join/Support NAACP Temco Press ~ printer ~ artist c. 1967 Poster has a black and white photograph of a pickup truck that is smashed. Over the photo in white is "When are they ever going to stop... When?" The left of the photo has a list of people hurt....	Lesbians and Gays Against Intervention in Central America Tede Matthews ~ artist c. 1978 Poster is printed on light purple cardstock and has a dark purple background with a pink triangle in the center. Around the triangle are black outlines of hands grasping each other. Across the...
Bill Graham Presents in San Francisco: New Years Eve 1967-1968 Bonnie MacLean Graham, Tea Lautrec Litho ~ printer 1967 Poster has a purple and white border wtih a black background. In the center is a large earth cut into pie slices over a red, yellow, orange and purple mosaic circle. At the top of the circle is a...	They also serve Bruce Steinbert ~ photographer, Prophet, Tea Lautrec Litho ~ printer 1970 Black and white poster with a photograph in the middle of six men and women planting a peace symbol version of a United States flag into the side of a hill. The image is mimicking the photograph...
New Riders of the Purple Sage: Boz Scaggs Tea Lautrec Litho ~ printer 1971 Poster has a black background with a blue and black image in the center with yellow text. The center image is of a large Uncle Sam overlooking water filled with ships. Flying above him are...	8th International Conference on Human Rights and Psychiatric Oppression Tanya Temkin ~ artist 1980 Poster has a black and white drawing at the top with black text below. The drawing is of several psyhciatric paitents in a hosptial sitting on a bench. Across from them is their shadows on a wall...
I Am A Man Tea Lautrec Litho ~ print shop 1968 Poster has red text on light blue paper. Poster reads from top to bottom: "I Am / A Man / Memphis".	Indochina: Fight back! Tampa Anti-Imperialist Union ~ publisher c. 1969 Poster has a black and white photograph of a young woman in black holding a gun up on one side. Above the woman is "Indochina: Fight Back!" printed in red.
Pueblo, Ejercito, Unidad...Garantia de la Victoria [ The unity of the people and the army... guarantees victory] T.I. Héroes de Pancasån ~ workshop n.d. Poster has a background image of a crowd of people with a large grey building on the right and yellow sky on the left with green trees on the horizon. In the front center is a man in blue pants...	Housing is a Human Right Jesus Barraza ~ artist, Taller Tupac Amaru ~ workshop c. 1995 Poster has a red image along the bottom of the San Francisco skyline outlined in black. On the right is a drawing of a maid. In the center is a drawing of a woman holding a baby and a man shouting...
(five children raising peace flag) Synergisms ~ publisher 1970 Poster has a photograph of five children raising a blue and white flag with a peace symbol overall. One child at right is crouched at the base of the flagpole while the other four are in a line on...	We Celebrate Women's Struggles: We Celebrate People's Victories. Gonna Rise Again Graphics ~ printer, Inkworks Press ~ publisher, Susan Shapiro ~ designer 1975 Poster has text at top edge: " We Celebrate Women's Struggles / We Celebrate People's Victories. " Below is a depiction of a line of people on a hill holding hands. The figure at the front of the...