1971 Anderson Political Broadside of Vietnam: Nixon as a Harpy

This is a c. 1971 Laurie Anderson 'scatological' political broadside of Richard Nixon as a harpy bombing Vietnam. This broadside decries Nixon's hypocrisy concerning the Vietnam War (1955 - 1975) and calls on the American people to continue protesting against the war.

A Closer Look

A harpy with the fanged, crazed head of Richard Nixon dominates the sheet. The harpy Nixon carries a child in his talons and defecates bombs toward a pile of skulls, and its tail reads 'U.S.A.F.' Nixon watches the bombs fall with a toothy grin. The image may obliquely reference James Gillray's 1793 satirical caricature map of England as George III (Geographicus FrenchInvasion-gillray-1851), which follows a similar scatalogical model. Text situated below the cartoon decries Nixon's failed attempt at 'Vietnamization' and calls on the American people to continue protesting the Vietnam War. It demands the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Indochina and states that college strikes and protest marches are being organized nationwide.

Publication History and Census

This political broadside was created and published by Laurie Anderson c. 1971 based on the text on the broadside stating, 'the Vietnamese people have chosen not to follow Nixon's 1972 election script'. We note a single cataloged example, which is part of the collection at the Oakland Museum of California (and dated c. 1967).