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Collection Record Detail
Object Name
Poster - "Freedom of Speech"
Object Number
1985-22-2
Description
The "Freedom of Speech" poster is based on Norman Rockwell's 1943 painting depicting a scene of a local town meeting in which Jim Edgerton, the lone dissenter to the town councilors' announced plans to build a new school, was accorded the floor as a matter of protocol. The blue-collar speaker wears a plaid shirt and suede jacket. He has dirty hands and a darker complexion than others in attendance. The other attendees are wearing white shirts, ties and jackets. Flanking the image, above and below, are the words, "SAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH/ BUY WAR BONDS."
Comment
This poster is based on one of Norman Rockwell’s “Four Freedoms” – a series of four 1942 oil painting. The paintings – Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear – refer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s January 1941 Four Freedoms State of the Union address in which he identified essential human rights that should be universally protected.
Category
Date Made
1943
Dimensions
Height 40"; Width 28.5"
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