Mar 20 at 10:30 AM - Sale 2697 -

Sale 2697 - Lot 123

Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
(CIVIL RIGHTS.) Danny Lyon; photographer. Variant version of the famous "Now!" poster. Poster, 15¾ x 10 inches; minimal wear. Atlanta, GA: Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, circa January 1964
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Additional Details

The variant first printing of one the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee posters featuring the work of important civil rights photographer Danny Lyon. It is generally thought to depict participants in the March on Washington, 28 August 1963.

Compared to the more frequently seen version of the poster, this one is only about two-thirds as high, has the title "NOW!" on the left of the raised arm with an added exclamation point, states a zip code rather than "Atlanta 14," and omits credits to the photographer and the Lincoln Lithograph Company.

This first version of the poster was printed in the SNCC office by staff member Mark Suckle, who graciously authorized us to share the story of its production. He began working at the SNCC headquarters in September 1963, and was assigned to share an Atlanta apartment with Danny Lyon and John Lewis. When executive director James Forman had an offset printing press delivered to the office's basement three days later, Suckle volunteered to run it. He was placed in charge of printing SNCC's newsletters and other publicity material, reporting to Julian Bond, the SNCC head of communication. He printed a few hundred of the "Now!" posters in January or February of 1964, but the photographer Lyon was unhappy with the results. Circa March or April 1964, SNCC then contracted with Lincoln Graphic Arts, the progressive New York press run by Norman Eisner. They produced the larger and slightly glossier version which many collectors are familiar with. For whatever reason, this later version did not use the newly standardized 5-digit zip code, using the older "Atlanta 14" mailing code. The larger posters were sold for a dollar each through SNCC's newsletter "The Student Voice," starting with their special Spring 1964 and 28 April 1964 issues.

Provenance: the consignor (not Mark Suckle) obtained this while working at the SNCC communications office in the summer of 1964.

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