Poster for the American Negro Exposition in Chicago: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A poster for the American Negro Exposition at the Chicago Coliseum. The image on the poster is of a male standing behind a female. They have their heads turned to their right and have their arms raised. In their right hands they are holding a book and a gear. In their left hands they are holding a document and a broken chain. The background is a pink mountain-scape with Abraham Lincoln’s face at center with a blue sky and pink clouds. Agricultural tools are at the bottom. Black text at the top center of the poster reads: [AMERICAN NEGRO EXPOSITION.] Brown text at the center of the poster reads: [1865] and [1940.] Blue text on a black background at the bottom of the poster reads: [CHICAGO COLISEUM / JULY 4 TO SEPT. 2.] Small black text at the bottom of the poster reads: [AMERICAN NEGRO EXPOSITION HEADQUARTERS, 3632 SOUTH PARKWAY, CHICAGO.]

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1940
• Illustrated by: Robert Savon Pious, American, 1908 - 1983
• Type: posters
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 21 7/16 × 13 3/4 in. (54.5 × 35 cm)
• Place depicted: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Advertising
• Topic: Communities
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Emancipation
• Topic: Holidays and festivals
• Topic: U.S. History, 1933-1945
• Object number: 2015.178
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Gift of Ingrid Rose in Memory of Milton M. Rose
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.