May 3, 2012 Presidential Campaign Posters Subject of New Library of Congress Publication

“Political art is nothing less than an illustration of the skirmishes and stalemates that created and continue to animate the American experiment … Fortunately, the Library of Congress has preserved all of these examples for future generations to see.”

So says media analyst Brooke Gladstone in the preface to “Presidential Campaign Posters From the Library of Congress,” soon to be published in association with Quirk Books. This visually stunning and historically intriguing collection of campaign posters provides an overview of two centuries of art that captured America’s votes.

Drawn from the Library’s collection of more than 100,000 posters covering a wide variety of subjects, 100 ready-to-frame campaign posters about politicians from Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama are included in “Presidential Campaign Posters.” Each of these posters is backed with colorful historical commentary and additional artwork from their respective campaigns.

This rare glimpse at campaign politics includes, but is not limited, to Andrew Jackson portrayed as a king to invoke voters’ memories of royal rule; Jimmy Carter as a Christ-like savior of his nation; Gerald Ford as “The Fonz” (“Fordsie”) keeping his cool against Reagan during the 1976 primaries; and Ronald Reagan as “Rambo” (“Ronbo”) ready to attack communists. Others feature campaign slogans such as Dwight Eisenhower’s “We Like Ike,” “Nixon’s the One,” and Barack Obama’s one-word message, “Hope.”

The book will be the subject of a Books & Beyond lecture at the Library of Congress at noon on Tuesday, June 19, in the Mary Pickford Theater, located on the third floor of the James Madison Building at 101 Independence Ave. S.E, Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.

“Presidential Campaign Posters,” a 208-page softcover book (11 x 14 inches) will be available for $40 in bookstores nationwide and in the Library of Congress Shop, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C., 20540-4985. Credit-card orders are taken at (888) 682-3557 or shop online at www.loc.gov/shop/.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, publications and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.