Political Posters
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.
1969
Poster is printed on yellow paper with black text and image. In the center is a circle with an image of the earth with figures above it. The figures are a skeleton, a baby and people with top... |
1976
Poster is printed on brown cardstock and has light blue text with dark blue images. In the center is a female figure showing her face an long hair in light blue with dark blue shadows. In the... |
1974
Poster has a central drawn oval image of a man with his face pointed toward the sky and his mouth opened in speech. Verso of poster has information on Charles White. At the top right is a black... |
1971
Poster from Good Times newspaper unfolded. Image is a black and white photograph of a man lying on the ground in a cemetery, with a syringe in his arm. Brush/weeds and a headstone with a cross... |
Late 20th Early 21st Century
This is a black poster with a black and white image of a Christmas tree made up of junk cars and other garbage. "Merry Christmas" is printed in white above the tree. Small, white text... |
1996
Poster has an unprinted white border all around. In the border at the top is "who makes air dirty?" in black. In the border at the bottom is "we All do!!! ...and we can clean it,... |
2002
This is a two-sided, horizontally-oriented poster with an illustration of a building with all the rooms visible from the side. Blue text at the top of the page reads "Production and... |
1987
This poster includes a black and white photograph of a little girl in a bathing suit on a beach. She is holding several tampon applicators and a syringe. Large text above the image reads "... |
2005
Poster has a gray printed background with semi-transparent color images of currency from aroundthe world at the left. Across the top is "The Changing Economics Of News / who will pay for excellent... |
1995
Poster printed on white paper. At the center is a multicolor, stylized cartoon-like image of Rush Limbaugh in a football uniform running across the goal line with a cigar. At the top and bottom... |
Late 20th Early 21st Century
Poster has black and pink ink printed on white paper. At the top is "It''s Time To Hide The Children!!!!" in pink and "One Night Only - From New York City / Stephen Parr - Jennifer Blowdryer... |
1979
Poster has black ink printed on white paper. At the top is "Jane Fonda / in / Oakland" followed by a photo of Fonda. Near the center is "''Julia'' / Monday, June... |
1981
Poster with a list of workshops: The Control of the Human Aura, The Science of the Spoken Word, Sound: the Creative Source, The Lost Years of Jesus, Wholeness through Spiritual Healing, Karma and... |
1970
Poster has a color photo of a man in military uniform standing in the ocean holding a waving American flag. The top edge of the poster is white with "The Last Man" at the left and a quote by... |
1990
Poster has a black printed background with white text and a blurred image at the right showing a naked figure with a design projected over his torso. At the top right is "One More Time". Down the... |
1985
Poster has a red background with "The Cooperative" across the top in black followed by a black and white horizontally lined background with a pair of white hands holding up colorful fruit. Beneath... |
Late 20th Early 21st Century
Poster has a sepia tone photo showing a man with his head out of a window of a brick building with a hat in his right hand and a can in his left hand, both also out of the window. |
circa 1986
Middle of poster is a large image of a female revolutionary holding a rifle. She is half covered in a red flag with a Hammer & Sickle emblem that is also half covering Planet Earth. Top of... |
1984
Multi-color poster printed on white paper. An image of a peach-colored and a brown-colored hand, each holding a long branch with green leaves and red colored berries, appears at center on a red... |
1983
Poster has a blue background with a green sillhouette of South America. In the center is a white dove holding the medical symbol in red. Poster has yellow and white text. It reads, "Su Paz es... |
1984
Multi-color poster printed on white paper. An image of a peach-colored and a brown-colored hand, each holding a long branch with green leaves and red colored berries, appears at center on a red... |
1980
Poster has red background in the center with two blue bars at the top and the bottom. In the center are two drawings of men, on the left is AC Sandino and on the right is Carlos Fonseca. Below... |
c. 1979
Poster has a black and orange background with white and orange text. In the center is an image of two figures; the figure to the left is a male behind a couple of bars, the figure to the right has... |
c. 1983
Poster has a white background with black text. In the center is a photograph of a boy with his arms crossed and sitting down. Around the photograph is an image of red crosshairs with 1983 at the... |