George Jackson – 1941-1971
- N.p., s.i., [1971]
N.p., s.i., [1971]. Original offset lithograph, 17" x 11", printed in reddish-brown ink on off-white, uncoated poster stock. Photographic portrait vignette at center of sheet within a thick plain border; one line of text at bottom margin below border. Slight soil and creasing to extremities, and a single short, closed tear at lower right; Very Good (B/B+).
A rather humble memorial poster, issued without any date or identifying information, for Soledad Brother and Black Power icon George Jackson. Jackson, an inmate at Soledad State Prison in California, was killed by prison guards during an escape attempt in 1971, which began when he pulled a 9mm pistol from underneath his wig, pointed it at a prison guard, and declared, "Gentlemen, the dragon has come!" A similar poster was produced by Marcus Books in San Francisco, but we find no references to, or catalogued examples of, the current poster, which came from a Chicago collection and may have been made for neighborhood distribution. The central image is a somewhat unusual portrait of Jackson, showing him in three-quarter profile, in prison uniform, wearing eyeglasses. Of the many dozens of popular images of Jackson, this is the only one in which we've seen him wearing glasses.
A rather humble memorial poster, issued without any date or identifying information, for Soledad Brother and Black Power icon George Jackson. Jackson, an inmate at Soledad State Prison in California, was killed by prison guards during an escape attempt in 1971, which began when he pulled a 9mm pistol from underneath his wig, pointed it at a prison guard, and declared, "Gentlemen, the dragon has come!" A similar poster was produced by Marcus Books in San Francisco, but we find no references to, or catalogued examples of, the current poster, which came from a Chicago collection and may have been made for neighborhood distribution. The central image is a somewhat unusual portrait of Jackson, showing him in three-quarter profile, in prison uniform, wearing eyeglasses. Of the many dozens of popular images of Jackson, this is the only one in which we've seen him wearing glasses.