Inventory of the Poster collection
Finding aid prepared by Nicole Saulsberry
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
© 2003, 2017
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu
Title: Poster collection
Date (inclusive): circa 1900-2011
Collection Number: XX343
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In various languages
Physical Description:
circa 120,900 posters
(1000.0 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Posters from many countries relating to a broad range of topics in twentieth-century history. A large proportion of the posters
are propagandistic in nature. American, British, French, German and Russian posters are particularly numerous. Among the major
events covered are World Wars I and II, the Russian Revolution, and national socialism in Germany. Digital copies of select
posters also available at
https://digitalcollections.hoover.org.
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested at least two business days in advance of intended use.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
[Identification of item], Poster collection, Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Digital copies of select posters also available at
https://digitalcollections.hoover.org.
The Hoover Institution Library & Archives Poster collection includes more than 33,000 cataloged political posters from around
the world, with more than double that number as yet uncataloged. Many thousands of the cataloged posters date from World War
I and World War II, though the posters cover the entire twentieth century. Posters from the United States (approximately 8,700),
the United Kingdom (5,000), Germany (4,200), the Russian empire and the Soviet Union (2,600), and France (1,800) are well
represented, but posters from more than eighty countries are also included. The cataloged posters have been photographed and
are available as 35-mm slides; digital copies are available as well.
Cataloged posters protected by copyright laws are available on Hoover's Digital Collections website (
https://digitalcollections.hoover.org ) as small thumbnail images only. Posters published before 1923 are also available in a larger size for better viewing. All
images on the Digital Collections website are for educational and research purposes only. Large-size images of
all digitized posters, including posters published since 1923, are available on workstations in the Hoover Archives reading room.
The list below covers only cataloged posters for which 35-mm slides are available. These posters were cataloged and photographed
under a grant from the United States Department of Education. Since the DoE grant ended in 1985, the archives has acquired
more than 50,000 more posters that have not been photographed and cataloged.
Note that each country has been assigned a unique two character poster identification code, listed in parentheses following
the country name in the list below. For assistance with this collection, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives
at hooverarchives@stanford.edu.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Posters
World War, 1939-1945 -- Propaganda
World War, 1914-1918 -- Propaganda
World War, 1914-1918 -- Posters
National socialism -- Posters
Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921 -- Posters
Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921 -- Propaganda
Posters, American
Posters, British
Posters, French
Posters, German
Posters, Russian