Merrill C. Berman collection of posters relating to United States twentieth-century social movements, 1906-2020 (bulk: 1935-1999), bulk 1935-1999

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Summary

Title:

Merrill C. Berman collection of posters relating to United States twentieth-century social movements

Dates:

1906-2020 (bulk: 1935-1999), bulk 1935-1999

Creators:

Berman, Merrill C., Barthold, David F., 1959-, Beall, Lester, 1903-1969, Berkeley Political Poster Workshop, Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976, Douglas, Emory, Federal Art Project (New York, N.Y.), Federal Theatre Project (U.S.), Fellnagel, Dorothy Darling, 1913–2006, Floethe, Richard, Gellert, Hugo, 1892-1985, Karsakov, Leonard, Milhous, Katherine, 1894-1977, Ungerer, Tomi, 1931-2019, Velonis, Anthony, 1911-1997, Verschuuren, Charles, 1891-1955, Waddy, Ruth G. (Ruth Gilliam), 1909-2003, Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987, Waugh, Dorothy, Whitley, Kenneth, 1918-1979, and Wojnarowicz, David

Abstract:

The collection comprises 315 posters, a poster maquette, and drawings, as well as fliers, black-and-white photographs, invitations, press releases, brochures, pamphlets, publications, stamp albums, product labels, and other ephemera that represent key historical moments in American history, with a particular focus on African American activism and protest, the Works Progress Administration, twentieth-century social justice movements, and LGBTQ movements.

Extent:

173.63 Linear Feet (33 boxes, 35 flatfiles)

Language:

Collection material is in English, with some in Spanish and German.

Preferred citation:

Merrill C. Berman collection of posters relating to United States twentieth-century social movements, 1906-2020 (bulk 1935-1999), Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2023.M.58.

hdl.handle.net/10020/archives2023m58

Background

Scope and content:

The collection comprises approximately 315 posters, a poster maquette, and drawings, as well as fliers, black-and-white photographs, magazines, newsletters, club advertisements, and other printed ephemera that reflect Berman's lifelong interest in United States history with particular focus on African American activism and protest, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), twentieth-century social justice movements, and LGBTQ movements.

The materials in Series I relate to African American activism and protest, which includes items from the civil rights and Black Power movements, with an emphasis on the Black Panther Party (BPP). Of note are posters designed by Emory Douglas, the Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, who played a crucial role in defining the aesthetics of the party's message. Also present in the series are posters and photographs depicting prominent Black civic leaders, such as Angela Y. Davis, Martin Luther King Jr., Joe Louis, and Malcolm X.

The WPA-era posters in Series II highlight the United States government's efforts to promote cultural activities and raise awareness of various social issues during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Notable designers such as Leonard Karsakov, Dorothy Fellnagel, Richard Floethe, Katherine Millhous, Louis B. Siegriest, Charles Verschuuren, and Dorothy Waugh designed posters that advertised art exhibitions, theater performances, and concerts, and addressed important issues such as health, land resettlement, and the war effort.

Series III documents social justice movements in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s, with a significant portion of materials dedicated to the anti-Vietnam War movement. Several of these posters were created in the San Francisco Bay Area by students at the University of California, Berkeley, and at print workshops. Other subjects represented include communism, socialism, civil rights, political rights, and women's rights. These materials advocate for democratic activities such as voting, labor rights, and anti-fascism activism. Additionally, the collection includes posters celebrating the rights and cultures of Chicanx, Latinx, and Native American communities, as well as journals, presidential campaign stickers, booklets, and fliers.

Series IV. LGBTQ movements comprises posters, postcard-sized club advertisements, fliers, and ephemera related to gay rights, gay culture, gay pride, and HIV/AIDS awareness. Included are lithograph posters by Marlene McCarty and Donald Moffett that address discrimination and violence against gay people in the military. The series also features promotional materials for gay club scenes and film screenings, and an almost complete run of Christopher Street magazine, from July 1976 to November 1988.

Biographical / historical:

Merrill C. Berman is a New York-based art collector known for his extensive collection of twentieth-century Russian and European art and graphic design.

Berman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1938. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College in 1960 and his Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia University.

Berman's passion for collecting started at a young age. He began collecting American political memorabilia when he was just fourteen years old. As his financial means grew, Berman expanded his collection to include paintings ranging from postimpressionism to pop art. The economic downturn of 1971 and 1972, along with the events leading up to the Watergate scandal, impacted Berman's finances and led to the sale of his painting collection. This shift also provided an opportunity for him to deepen his interest in graphic design and posters, a field not yet widely embraced by the mainstream art world. His strong interest in the intersection of art and politics, especially the impact of artists on social movements in the twentieth century, led him to collect important pre-World War I German and Russian graphic designs from avant-garde movements such as Dada, Bauhaus, Futurism, and Russian Constructivism, and include artists such as John Heartfield, Hannah Höch, El Lissitzky, and Aleksandr Rodchenko. Driven by his interest in American history and the civil rights struggle, Berman also collected twentieth-century graphic design posters produced between the 1930s and 1980s. These include posters that promoted governmental efforts during the New Deal, such as posters designed by Charles Verschuuren, Dorothy Waugh, Leonard Karsakov, Lester Beall, and Hugo Gellert, or posters opposing racism and fascism such as works by Emory Douglas and the Black Panther Party.

Berman's collections have been featured in institutions such as the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2015, a selection of Berman's political posters were featured in Art as Activism: Graphic Art from the Merrill C. Berman Collection at the New-York Historical Society, which was converted into an online exhibition in 2020 during the COVID lockdown.

Sources consulted:

"An Interview with Merrill C. Berman," The Galerie St. Etienne. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://youthstyle.gseart.com/merrill-c-berman-interview.

Merrill C. Berman Collection. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://mcbcollection.com/home/about-us.

"Merrill C. Berman, Leading Art Collector." Harvard Class of 1960, Accessed April 21, 2025. https://h1960.classes.harvard.edu/article.html?aid=679.

Takahatake, Naoko, "Acquisition Approval Form for the 'Merrill C. Berman Collection of prints, posters, photographs, catalogues, journals, and printed ephemera...'" accession no. 2023.M.58, September 15, 2022.

Acquisition information:

Acquired in 2023.

Custodial history:

Acquired by Merrill C. Berman from various public and private sales and trades in the United States and Europe from the 1970s to the 2020s.

Processing information:

Processed by Jenny Le and Emmabeth Nanol in 2025.

Transcribed titles may contain racist, homophobic, outdated, or otherwise harmful language. Content warnings are provided for photographs and illustrations that depict violence.

Arrangement:

Organized into four series: Series I. African American activism and protest, 1915-1980 (bulk: 1960-1980); Series II. Works Progress Administration, 1930-1946; Series III. Social justice movements in the US, 1906-2020 (bulk: 1916-1980); Series IV. LGBTQ movements, 1965-1999.

Physical location:

Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection. Click here for the access policy.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Bibliography:

Campbell, Andy. Queer X Design: 50 Years of Signs, Symbols, Banners, Logos, and Graphic Art of LGBTQ. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2019.

Carter, Ennis, DeNoon, Christopher, and Peltz, Alexander M. Posters for the People: Art of the WPA. Quirk Books, 2008.

Cushing, Lincoln, and Inkworks Press. Visions of Peace & Justice. Inkworks Press, 2007.

DeNoon, Christopher. Posters of the WPA. Wheatley Press, 1987.

Hilliard, David. The Black Panther: Intercommunal News Service. Atria Books, 2007.

Merrill C. Berman Collection. https://mcbcollection.com/.

New-York Historical Society. Art as Activism: Graphic Art from the Merrill C. Berman Collection. 2015.

Sudhalter, Adrian. Black Self-Empowerment: From the Crisis to the Black Panthers, 1920s-1990s. Rye, New York, 2001.

Taylor, Nick. American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA: When FDR Put the Nation to Work. Bantam Books, 2008.

Indexed terms

Subjects:: African American art -- California -- Los Angeles
African American art -- United States -- 20th century
African American civic leaders -- Posters
African American political activists -- Posters
Anti-imperialist movements -- Posters
Art -- Political aspects -- United States -- 20th century
Black power -- 20th century
Chicano movement
Civil rights movements -- United States -- Posters
Communism and art -- Posters
Political campaigns -- United States
Presidential candidates -- United States -- Posters
Social justice -- Posters
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest movements -- California
Women's rights -- United States
AIDS activists -- United States
Gay artists -- Posters
Gay liberation movement
Gay men -- Photographs
Red Power movement
Feminism in art
Gay activists
Gay cinema
LGBTQ+ activism
Political activists
Political posters -- 20th century
Pride parades
Sexual minorities -- Political activity -- United States
Alternative publications
Black-and-white photographs -- 20th century
Magazines (periodicals)
Posters -- United States -- 20th century
Printed ephemera -- 20th century
Gelatin silver prints
Brochures
Fliers (printed matter)
Greeting cards
Pamphlets
Newsletters
Offset lithographs
political fliers
Prints (visual works)
Screen prints
Photographs, Original
stamp albums
Names:: Black Panther Party
Communist Party of America
Berman, Merrill C.
Chisholm, Shirley, 1924-2005
Davis, Angela Y. (Angela Yvonne), 1944-
Karsakov, Leonard
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
Louis, Joe, 1914-1981
Milk, Harvey
Montez, Mario, 1935-2013
X, Malcolm, 1925-1965

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:: Jenny Le and Emmabeth Nanol
Date Encoded:: This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-02-04 11:39:25 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:: Open for use by qualified researchers.
Terms of access:: Contact Library Reproductions and Permissions.