Printed by
Berkeley Graphic Arts, American, 1965 - 1970
Photograph by
Copeland, Alan, Canadian, born 1943
Subject of
Seale, Bobby, American, born 1936
Black Panther Party, American, 1966 - 1982
Berkeley Tribe, American, 1969 - 1972
International Printing Pressmen and Assistants’ Union, American, founded 1889
Date
1967-1970
Medium
ink on paper (fiber product)
Dimensions
H x W: 23 1/16 × 17 1/2 in. (58.6 × 44.4 cm)
Description
A poster depicting Black Panther Party Co-founder Bobby Seale. The poster is printed in black ink on an off-white background and features a large, black-and-white photograph of Seale, taken by Alan Copeland, and a Seale quotation below. The top two thirds of the poster is dominated by the close-up photograph of Seale. Seale is shown from the neck up, with his head tilted slightly towards his proper left shoulder, and he is looking downwards. He is wearing a white turtleneck sweater under a houndstooth blazer. Seale has a circle beard and a small goatee. Printed in large, centered, black text at the bottom third of the poster, directly under the photograph, is a Seale quotation that reads [If we worry about what's going to happen to us, / we couldn't accomplish anything…. Justice is / gonna come when the mass of people rise up / and see justice done…. The more they try to / come down on us, the more we'll expose them / for what they are…… / PIGS]. The letter [I] in [If] at the beginning of the quotation, and the word [PIGS] at the end of the quotation, are printed in a large handwriting-style font for emphasis. The photographer’s credit is printed in small black text at the bottom right corner of the photograph and reads, [Photo credit: Alan Copeland, Tribe]. In the bottom right corner of the poster is a union label printed in black text and a graphic. The union label is roughly diamond shaped with text printed inside at the top and bottom that reads [PRINTING PRESSMEN], [AND ASSISTANTS], with [UNION] and [LABEL] printed at the center of the diamond. The text, [OFFSET PRINTING], is printed below the diamond. The printer’s name, [BERKELEY GRAPHIC ARTS], is printed to the right of the union label. The back of the poster is plain and white.
Place printed
San Francisco, Alameda County, California, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Memorabilia and Ephemera - Political and Activist Ephemera
Type
lithographs
posters
Topic
Activism
Black power
Civil rights
Graphic design
Justice
Politics
Resistance
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Jerry Dommer
Object number
2022.56.1
Restrictions & Rights
© Bobby Seale and Alan Copeland
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd51bd8782b-c5f3-45db-8cb3-7581281c0fc7

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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