Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. April 3, 1968

Object Details

Designed by

Gail Anderson, American, born 1962

Subject of

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., American, 1929 - 1968

Caption

Gail Anderson is a New York based designer and partner at Anderson Newton Design. Since 1987, Anderson has worked in the field of design at design firms, advertising agencies, and publications. Her work has received awards from major design organizations, including the Society of Publication Designers and the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). In 2008 she received a Lifetime Achievement Medal from the AIGA. Anderson currently works as Creative Director at the School of Visual Arts Press and is on the Citizen Stamp Advisory Committee for the US Post Office. In 2013, the US Postal Service commissioned Anderson to design the commemorative stamp for the sesquicentennial of the Emancipation Proclamation. Anderson was only the second African American designer tapped to design a commemorative stamp, the first being Georg Olden who designed the Proclamation’s 100th anniversary stamp in 1963.

Description

This is a black-and-white poster with an illustrated image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. next to a quote from his final speech, delivered in Memphis on April 3, 1968. The poster is a square piece of off-white paper filled from margin to margin with large hand-lettered bubble font. The letters are outlined in black and are off-white in the center. The quote reads, "Like anybody, I would like to live a long life – longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land." In the bottom right quadrant is an illustrated portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is shown from the chest up, and only the right-hand shoulder. His head is turned towards his right shoulder, and he is gazing slightly upwards. He wears a dark suit and tie over a collared shirt. Along the bottom margin is small black text that reads “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. April 3, 1968.”

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gail Anderson

ca. 2018

Object number

2020.11.20

Restrictions & Rights

© Gail Anderson

Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

Type

posters

Medium

ink on paper (fiber product)

Dimensions

H x W: 24 × 24 in. (61 × 61 cm)

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification

Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

Memorabilia and Ephemera - Political and Activist Ephemera

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic

African American

Activism

Art

Civil Rights

Design

Education

Graphic design

Record ID

nmaahc_2020.11.20

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd527d2c8f0-1c5a-485c-9ced-8cf8a125dee3