Wanted
Poster
1973 (made)
1973 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This poster was issued in 1973, at the height of the Watergate affair. Watergate was a political scandal that took place between 1972 and 1974, in the atmosphere of the ongoing, and increasingly unpopular, Vietnam War. The attempt to undermine the Democratic Party converged around the Watergate complex (now the Watergate Hotel), Washington DC, where, on 17 June 1972, the office of the Democratic National Committee was burgled. The resulting cover-up led to attempts to impeach the Republican President Richard Nixon. The ensuing indictments for conspiracy, burglary and obstruction of justice ultimately brought about the downfall of the Nixon administration, culminating in Nixon's resignation on 8 August 1974.
Taking the form of a 'Wanted' poster, drawing on and satirising American popular culture, the poster identifies the twenty men implicated in the scandal. Each of them has the word 'Apprehended' printed across his face, disclosing their guilt, except for Nixon, emphasising his unwillingness to take responsibility.
Taking the form of a 'Wanted' poster, drawing on and satirising American popular culture, the poster identifies the twenty men implicated in the scandal. Each of them has the word 'Apprehended' printed across his face, disclosing their guilt, except for Nixon, emphasising his unwillingness to take responsibility.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Wanted (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Offset lithograph |
| Brief description | "WANTED", anti-Nixon poster issued by the Committee to de-elect the President, designed by Philip Lief and Marcel Feigel, United states, 1973 |
| Physical description | "WANTED" anti-Nixon poster issued by the Committee to de-elect the President. Black-and-white poster, with the word 'Wanted' in capital letters at the top. Below this are 20 photographic images of men involved in the Watergate scandal, in a grid of four rows of five, with the name of each man below his picture. The men are (in order, left to right) top row, James McCord, Dwight Chapin, H. R. Haldeman, John Mitchell, John Erlichman. Second row, Maurice Stans, Eugenio Martinez, G. Gordon Liddy, Charles Colson, Herbert Kalmbach. Third row, John Dean, Robert Mardian, Jeb Magruder, Richard M. Nixon, Bernard L. Barker. Forth row, Virgilio Gonzalez, Donald Segretti, Frank A. Sturgis, Howard Hunt Jr. and Hugh Sloan Jr.. All have the word "Apprehended" in white letters on a black banner, printed diagonally across their pictures; except for Nixon. |
| 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 | Politics Satire Government Men Politicians Presidents Criminals Nixon, Richard McCord, James W. (Jr.) Chapin, Dwight L. Haldeman, H. R. Mitchell, John Erlichman, John Stans, Maurice Martínez, Eugenio Liddy, G. Gordon Colson, Charles Kalmbach, Herbert Dean, John (III) Mardian, Robert Magruder, Jeb Barker, Bernard L. Gonzalez, Virgilio Donald Segretti Sturgis, Frank A. Hunt, Howard (Jr.) Sloan W., Hugh (Jr.) Watergate Scandal |
| Summary | This poster was issued in 1973, at the height of the Watergate affair. Watergate was a political scandal that took place between 1972 and 1974, in the atmosphere of the ongoing, and increasingly unpopular, Vietnam War. The attempt to undermine the Democratic Party converged around the Watergate complex (now the Watergate Hotel), Washington DC, where, on 17 June 1972, the office of the Democratic National Committee was burgled. The resulting cover-up led to attempts to impeach the Republican President Richard Nixon. The ensuing indictments for conspiracy, burglary and obstruction of justice ultimately brought about the downfall of the Nixon administration, culminating in Nixon's resignation on 8 August 1974. Taking the form of a 'Wanted' poster, drawing on and satirising American popular culture, the poster identifies the twenty men implicated in the scandal. Each of them has the word 'Apprehended' printed across his face, disclosing their guilt, except for Nixon, emphasising his unwillingness to take responsibility. |
| Other number | LS.1124 - Leslie Schreyer Loan Number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.213-2004 |
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| Record created | February 27, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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