1971 Vietnam War Era Anti-War Propaganda Poster featuring Uncle Sam
DESCRIPTION
This psychedelic anti-war blacklight poster, titled Now Presenting Uncle Sam!! The Great Magician, was designed by Don Stanchfield (credited as Don Stanch) and published in 1971 by Pro Arts Inc., Medina, Ohio.
Combining elements of pop art, political satire, and protest design, the poster reimagines Uncle Sam as a sinister stage magician performing a grim illusion: soldiers marching into war on the left and rows of gravestones on the right. The accompanying text, “Now you see them, now you don’t” and “Now playing at a war near you,” delivers a sharp critique of American militarism during the Vietnam War.
Printed in fluorescent inks of red, white, and electric blue, the design was intended to glow under ultraviolet light, enhancing its visual impact in darkened rooms and countercultural settings. The poster’s comic-book typography and dramatic contrasts echo the visual language of 1960s rock posters, but its message is deeply political, channeling the anti-establishment sentiment that defined the early 1970s. The bold image of Uncle Sam, rendered with piercing red eyes and an accusatory gaze, transforms the patriotic icon into a symbol of deception and government propaganda.
Pro Arts, one of the leading American poster publishers of the era, distributed The Great Magician nationally through head shops, record stores, and college bookstores, making it both a piece of pop culture and a tool of protest. The poster stands as a vivid artifact of the Vietnam War era, part satire, part memorial, and a powerful example of how commercial art techniques were used to challenge authority and question national mythmaking.
NOTE: This is a black-light poster and the image shown does not accurately reflect the vibrant colors the poster presents in person. Our scanner just cannot capture the magic of black-light art quite like the naked-eye.
CONDITION
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