A Brief History

Posters seem to be a lost art, these days. When I was younger they were everywhere and available in many shops. I just don't run into them a lot anymore, and when I do it's mainly in the form of photos of pop stars of one type or another. But back in the day there all kinds of graphics sending messages and dreams to people who wished to see them.

My all-time favorite poster was one which I would see on the walls in houses and apartments of some of my friends. For some odd reason I never bought one for myself even though I should have and always got a kick out of seeing when I'd encounter it.

The image listed below is one posted by an old acquaintance on Facebook and I copied it from that source (Jeff Osier). The art and sentiments all belong to Robert Crumb, arguably the finest comics artist the world has ever seen. If the term "genius" can be ascribed to a comic artist, the one I would give it to would be Robert Crumb.

I've seen a later version of this poster done by Crumb which adds some panels that give the viewer a more positive view of the direction of human tendencies. I was not happy to see the newer version as I feel that it defeats the lesson of caution that this original preaches. At any rate, here it is. No truer version of modern society was ever shown.

A Short History of America. By Robert Crumb. Copyright by Robert Crumb.