Abolish ROTC
Poster
ca. 1969 (made)
ca. 1969 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) funded students' college education in return for a commitment to serve in the military on graduation. During the Vietnam War, the ROTC presence on campuses became a focus for resentment for those opposed to the war and the draft. The ROTC is personified here as a military Gargantua gorging on students and excreting them as soldiers. The grotesque figure echoes the caricatures of the 18th-century satirist James Gillray. The felt tip additions demonstrate the poster's immediate use and context.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Abolish ROTC (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Offset photolithograph |
| Brief description | 'Abolish ROTC', Yale University student activist poster. USA, ca. 1969. |
| Physical description | Illustration of an obese, naked high-ranking military official devouring students and excreting them as soldiers. Printed in black and white. Hand-written additions in black felt-tip marker. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Gift of the American Friends of the V&A; Gift to the American Friends by Leslie, Judith and Gabri Schreyer and Alice Schreyer Batko |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | The ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) funded students' college education in return for a commitment to serve in the military on graduation. During the Vietnam War, the ROTC presence on campuses became a focus for resentment for those opposed to the war and the draft. The ROTC is personified here as a military Gargantua gorging on students and excreting them as soldiers. The grotesque figure echoes the caricatures of the 18th-century satirist James Gillray. The felt tip additions demonstrate the poster's immediate use and context. |
| Other number | LS.1080 - Leslie Schreyer Loan Number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1441-2004 |
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| Record created | July 9, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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