Presidential Campaign Posters

The Los Angeles Times revels in a new book published by Quirk Books highlighting the presidential campaign poster.

From the piece...


The book begins with the 1828 Andrew Jackson-John Quincy Adams race, spanning through 2008's Barack Obama-John McCain battle -- including Shepard Fairey's memorable Obama "Hope" poster -- and covering every campaign in between.

"We began in 1828 because it was the first election you didn't have to own property to vote," said W. Ralph Eubanks, publishing director at the Library of Congress. "We felt that was the beginning of modern presidential campaigns."

While the names and faces may have changed and artistic styles evolved, the nature of American politicking, issues and mudslinging have remained constant throughout our country's history. Often the attacks were personal and vicious. Jackson's opponents painted him as a murdering military general in a poster filled with caskets and accounts of his bloody deeds, while Adams represented establishment and ties to the founding fathers.

"The most common slogan has been a variation of 'Bring America Back' or 'Push It Forward,' " Eubanks said. He noted that a recurring theme is the candidate as the common man: James Garfield as a farmer, Ulysses S. Grant as a tanner, and Robert Kennedy's Alfred E. Neuman look-alike psychedelic poster from 1968.