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Abolish ROTC

Poster
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
TitleAbolish 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
  • Height: 36cm
  • Width: 29cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'ABOLISH / ROTC' (printed in black on white, capital letters)
  • 'DEMONSTRATION / 4PM Comn. Hall Jan. 30' (hand-written in black marker pen)
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 createdJuly 9, 2004
Record URL
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