Lot 120: RARE 1964 Billy Morrow Jackson (1926-2006) "Black Man With Sign Board" Civil Rights Political Protest Print / Poster

This image of Black man wearing a sandwich board advertises the events, people and atrocities of significance to black life in America. On it we see a variety of images—John F. Kennedy, the American Flag and its reverse image, George Wallace in the schoolhouse door, Medgar Evers, the fire hoses from the Birmingham march, Martin Luther King, the police dogs threatening demonstrators, the nation of Islam (Fruit of Islam Fighter), a white cross and it’s black mirror image, a slain black man on the ground, Ross Barnett, Abraham Lincoln, black child situated between Islam and Christianity, Watermelon and Swastikas, and children running to the Capitol for safety. One particularly striking image is the reversal of the American Shield emblem. The shield has been placed in the background rather than its usual position in the foreground in front of the bird. A crow has replaced the eagle. The arrows and olive branches that are held in the bird’s talons have been replaced by bolls of cotton and a noose. The motto ‘E Pluribus Unum’* has been replaced with—‘We Reserve the Right To’ It was made in 1964 in response to the Birmingham, Alabama church bombing in 1963 and the killing of several civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964. Billy Morrow Jackson (1926-2006) is a well listed nationally recognized artist. His art is in numerous private, governmental and museum collections including the National Gallery of Art, Indianapolis Museum of Art, North Carolina Museum of Art, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Museum Collection; NASA National Archives, Boston Public Library; Library of Congress; Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum – Renwick Gallery. Billy Morrow Jackson is known for his satirical political pieces that poked fun at the KKK and his artworks documenting African American life in the U.S. Jackson himself was the target of vandalism to his home for his beliefs and because he was in a mixed relationship in Central Illinois. Visual artists Like Mr. Jackson were socially aware and politically active and helped the public understand the events transpiring in their communities. Rather than marching or overtly protesting they provided visual imagery that illuminate the times. These artists used visual irony, satire, parody, and caricature as potent weapons to highlight the oppression, hypocrisy and violent repression of African Americans by the segregationists and supremacists. The prints were purchased because they were highly symbolic and provided a visual shorthand to convey the complex circumstances of The Civil Rights Movement. They allow those of us who experienced these events to remember and become reacquainted through their powerful symbolism, and for those who have no experience, through retracing the history can develop an insight and understanding. Billy Morrow Jackson, the artist, has put the perpetration of violence against innocent people, into perspective, by using the motif of wild animals and recounting terrible crimes. Atrocities which were exercised on non-violent protestors, who were merely seeking their full measure of citizenship. Jackson exposes the bastardized version of religion and patriotism, to clearly indicate what the civil rights activist were up against; death. The illusion of civilization has been stripped from the villains. Billy Morrow Jackson was a white artist based in the Midwest whose subjects consisted of rural landscapes, farmhouses, portraits of friends and family, similar in tone and style to the paintings of Andrew Wyeth. He departed from his usual practices and created a portfolio that reflected the heroes and villains of the then, current, civil rights movement. The origin of his interest in the Civil Rights Movement is obscure. One factor could have been his interracial marriage. The couple were married in 1949, a time when interracial marriage was a courageous undertaking. Whatever the impetus, Jackson wanted to support the civil rights social justice agenda. He tends to think of racism as a fearless, featureless system that does its devious work in a mechanical anonymous modus operandi. Mr. Jackson puts that fallacy to rest. In the 1960s, racism has a face, and well-known villains- including George Wallace, Ross Barnett, Bull Connors, etc. This does not eliminate the scourge of institutional racism, but during this period of in your face, personal racism was alive and well. Specific, and identifiable individuals perpetrated acts of oppression including murder. Evil was made flesh. Please ask specific questions on details, condition, and shipping prior to bidding, ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS, and bidder will be responsible for payment. We box and ship what we can to keep costs low, and use USPS and UPS. Large items, extremely fragile, and high value items will be packed by UPS. Quotes available on request

29" x 22.5"

Very Good Condition with no tears