Freedom to Breathe/Control Air Pollution
Artist
Designer Unknown
Printer
U.S. Government Printing Office
Date1969
Dimensions17 x 12 in. (43.2 x 30.5 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.6789
DescriptionThis poster by an unknown designer promotes the anti-pollution legislation then being enacted by the U.S. government. It shows the Statue of Liberty, the icon of American freedom, wearing a gas mask to protect her from noxious fumes and is designed in the style of the psychedelic posters of the hippie era. The characteristic swirling lines and convoluted lettering of the Art Nouveau style were popularized in such compositions by designers like Wes Wilson, Victor Moscoso, Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley, Peter Blake, and Milton Glaser, mainly to advertise rock concerts and music festivals. It was presumably employed here by the government in order to draw the attention of the young Americans who had been especially vociferous in demanding government action to address the environmental impact of increased industrialization, urbanization, and population growth. The National Environmental Pollution Act was passed by Congress in 1969, the year this poster was produced, and passed into law by President Nixon on January 1, 1970.On View
Not on view
