Warning - The artwork and topics discussed in this piece are of a sexual and/or racial nature. They reflect views that many might find offensive or abhorrent, but they are a part of American history and their existence was socially and historically important.
One of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon is visiting small museums, because they usually have a specific focus. That often allows them to produce excellent exhibits that might be overlooked by larger institutions. The Poster House, in New York City, is one of my favorite places to visit.
The Poster House opened in 2019 as the first museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to the art and history of commercially produced graphic posters. It owns a collection of over 7000 posters from around the world, and covering eras from the early 1800’s to the present. Right now they are hosting two excellent shows - one that offers a glimpse into a historic medical and political crisis; the other exploring the history of segregation in the American arts.
Love & Fury: New York’s Fight Against AIDS (through Sept 6 2026)
In the 1970’s and 80’s New York City was home to a growing cluster of rare illnesses, especially among healthy, young gay men. Because of who was affected, governmental agencies were very slow to react, and research into what became known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) had a very low priority. New Yorkers, especially in the gay community, began to organize in ways to both make up for the lack of governmental response, and to try and force more and faster action by local and federal authorities. The Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) began to publish posters and leaflets to educate the community on safe-sex practices, and to advocate for services. Act-Up was formed to build pressure on politicians and organizations to take action.
 |
| The New St. Marks Baths by Boris Vallejo |
 |
| They show all the signs of having AIDS by Unkown |
 |
| You Can't Live on Hope by Sandra Shap |
 |
| Silence = Death by Silence = Death Project |
 |
| Ignorance = Fear/Silence = Death by Keith Haring |
 |
| AIDS Its Big Business and One Death Every Thirty Minutes by Richard Deagle |
 |
| AIDS Walk New York by Unkown |
Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen (through Sept 6, 2026)
For most of its history, the United States was fully a segregated society. African American were forced to live separately from European Americans. This segregation also held true in the arts produced during this era. On the stage, minstrel shows were a popular offering. In these performances, actors and musicians wore “black-face” and acted out some of the worst of the prevalent racial stereotypes. Many Black performers, like Josephine Baker, fled the country for places they were more accepted. But while this was happening, many Black playwrights, comedians, composers, and musicians were creating works that explored the lives of African Americans in the United States. These works were performed in theaters that were open to Black audiences, often called the Chitlin’ Circuit.
 |
| The Original Georgia Minstrels by Ferdinand Mayer |
 |
| Dixie to Broadway by Morris Rosenbaum |
 |
| Josephine Baker/Columbia by Paul Colin |
 |
| Le Tumulte Noir by Paul Colin |
In mainstream Hollywood films, African American actors were relegated to roles of servitude, often as buffoons or criminals. But many small production companies, owned by both Black and White financiers, saw a market in African American audiences, and “Race Films” have been produce since around 1915. These movies had all-black casts, and were often written by black screen-writers. There are records of over 500 of the movies produced between 1915 and 1955.
Many people are familiar with the musicals that starred big-name celebrities, such as Cabin in the Sky (Ethel Water, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, Lena Horne), but movies were produced across a wide range of genres. Westerns, and murder mysteries; romances and horror films; films with the stories of soldier and pilots in both World Wars, all presenting another view of life in the United States. Unfortunately, because these movies were outside of the primary Hollywood system, almost all of them have been lost to the impermanence of the film stock of first half go the 20th century
 |
| Cabin in the Sky by Al Hirshfeld |
These two exhibits are great examples of what The Poster House does so well. One is a smaller look at a brief, if important, period of time. The other is a deep dive into a key, if mostly forgotten, cultural epoch. Both show how the production of graphic arts at the time, have been able to preserve these parts of history.
Nuts and Bolts
- The Poster House is located at 119 West 23rd street, NewYork City.
- It is open Thursday - Sunday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (9:00 PM on Fridays)
- Admission is $15 adults/ $10 Students, educators, seniors, veterans and visitors with disabilities. The museum is free every Friday and on the 3rd Sunday of each month.
Comments
Post a Comment