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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The Tiger's Milk: Women of Nicaragua c. 1988 Poster has a green and brown background with white and pink text. The central image is of a woman breastfeeding her child with an image of a tiger behind her. The poster reads, "An exhibition...	Celebrate the 2nd Year of the Nicaraguan Revolution July 19 Sequoyah Graphics, printer c. 1981 #VALUE!
El Salvador Will Win!! Gabino Palomares in Concert. Allied Printing, Inkworks Press, printer c.1990 Poster printed in black ink on orange paper. "El Salvador Will Winn!! / Gabino Palomares in concert" printed at top above an image of a man holding a guitar and singing into a microphone. Two...	Guatemala: The Land Of Eternal Repression Guatemala News and Information Bureau, printer, Sequoyah Graphics circa 1982 Poster is a photograph of a Guatemalan woman kneeling on the ground with a child surrounded by stone walls. Top of the poster has "Guatemala / The Land Of Eternal Repression" printed...
La Paz Y La Justicia: Peace With Justice 1987 Poster has a magenta background with white text. In the center is a photograph outlined in red of people walking along a road carrying bags and containers on their backs and heads. The poster...	Caravan on the Road to Peace Inkworks Press, printer, Jos Sances, artist 1991 Poster printed in red and black ink on white paper. "Caravan on the Road to Peace / Help Rebuild El Salvador" printed at top and aligned at left. The majority of the page contains an image of a...
Stop The Bombing Of El Salvador Andrea Kantrowitz, artist, Inkworks Press, printer c.1982 Poster has a brown background with blue and white text. The main image is an illustration of a family of three, a mother and two children, hiding in a shelter with planes flying overhead. The...	Blockade Arms Shipments to El Salvador Fireworks Graphics Collective, designer, Inkworks Press, printer 1983 Poster has a white background with black, red, and white text. In the center is an image of two people wearing red shirts and linking their elbows together. The poster reads, "Blockade Arms...
Stop Bombing El Salvador Charles Cohan, artist, Inkworks Press, printer, Laura King, artist c.1987 Poster has a black background with white text. Towards the bottom left is an image of a face surrounded by the black background. The poster reads, "Stop Bombing El Salvador/ Join the National...	Cinco Anos en Conmemoracion de la Massacre Estudiantil Taller Miseria, workshop 1980 This poster features a group of people in blue, red, brown, and black holding guns and machetes above their heads. They blend into a blue and white image of El Salvador and a blue section at the...
Chile/1978 (calendar) Inkworks Press, printer 1978 Poster has a black and white drawing at the top center of a woman shielding several small children. She is looking upward. The bottom right of the drawing has a caption: "Seed for planting shall...	Solidaridad Internacional con El Salvador [International solidarity with El Salvador] c. 1981 Poster has a black outline of El Salvador with images of people in distrest. In the upper right is an image of a skeleton soldier. Poster is in three languages, English, Spanish and French. Poster...
La Revolucion No La Para Nadie [The revolution stops for no one] 1973 Poster has a white background with black text. In the center is an image of peopl in silhoutte holding Chilean flags. To the right looks like an image of a doorknob and keyhole. The poster reads...	Rally: Boycott all trade with the fascist regimes of Chile & So. [South] Africa Inkworks Press, printer 1977 Poster has a drawing on the right of two faces intertwined with two hands holding a larg red hammer with a Chilean flag. The upper right corner has a Chilean flag with a red rose. Poster reads, "...
untitled (Chilean scenes of war and Augusto Pinochet) Florence Siegel, artist 1976 Poster has a black and white background black text. Poster is filled with text and quotes from newspapers and magazines concerning Chile as well as images of Augusto Pinochet and Chilean soldiers...	inti-illimani Late 20th Early 21st Century This is an off-white poster with black, red, and blue printing. Black text at the top introduces the "benefit concert" with "inti-illimani" in large red and black text. "Chile" is written in very...
Viva Chile! Inti-Illimani Inkworks Press, printer 1977 Poster is printed on yellow paper. In the center is a drawing of a Chilean flag with a face, a hand holding tools, and a guitar. Around the drawing is "Viva Chile! inti-illmani." The lower right...	Untitled 1973 The poster is printed with text which reads, from top to bottom: Nixon, Frei, and Pinochet / up to this day this bitter/ month of September 1973, / with Bordaberry, Garrastaz_, and Banzer, /...
Alternatives For The Americas Allied Printing, Inkworks Press, printer, Yingzhao Liu, designer 1998 Poster has a black background with white and brown text. Main image is of North and South America with a photograph of the clocktower at University of California, Berkeley pulled out of the image...	In Solidarity With The People Of Central America Mission Grafica, workshop, R. Henderson, photographer Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster is screen printed on white/cream paper. Poster has white boarder. At the top of the poster is white and orange text that reads:"In Solidarity With The People / Of Central America". Below...
Untitled Inkworks Press, printer 1981 Poster has a black background with red text. Main image is a black and white photograph of a man looking out of a window and a woman holding a child in front of the building. The words, "Celebrate...	Queremos la Paz en Centro America: Take the Pledge of Resistance Chubasco Press, printer, Marvin Collins, designer, Wendy Kaufman, artist Late 20th Early 21st Century Poster has a gray background with blue and red text. In the center is a photograph of two women and a child; the women are wearing red scarves around their necks and the child is in the arms of...
National Wildlife Refuge System U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, publisher c. 2003 Poster consists of a full page color image with blue text. Image depicts a collection of animals, a butterfly and flower in the forefront and water with a bush with Pelicans on it in the...	Mother Lode c. 1973 Poster consists of a full page black and white image and black text on white pape. The image depicts a woman in an ankle length dress with long hair wearing a hat and holding a rifle standing in...