1238 - Posters

Posters Help the Biafran Mother and Child. Circa 1968. Silkscreen print in yellow and black on thin vellum. 50 x 38.5 cm. Appeal poster from the time of the Nigerian Civil War, during which the blockade of the breakaway Republic of Biafra triggered a famine that claimed the lives of approximately two million civilians. The image of the starving mother with her child became the central symbol of this catastrophe and shaped the first major humanitarian media campaign of the postwar era. The poster renders this image as an expressively elongated, mask-like figure set against a yellow, radiant sun, reminiscent of the rising sun on the Biafran flag. The expressive visual language, closely aligned with Nigerian modernism, and the skillful screen-printing technique suggest that it was created within the Biafran context or as part of the international solidarity movement. - Rare historical document. - Paper brittle and browned due to age, with some water stains; a few barely noticeable tears along the edges; partially backed on the reverse. Edges are irregular and partly compressed, with small missing areas; some crease marks; surface is partly rubbed; reverse shows slight ink bleed-through and remnants of previous mounting. Overall in good condition. Excellent, rich print of the expressive motif without margins. Silkscreen in yellow and black on lightweight toned paper. - Paper age-toned, water stains in places, a few barely noticeable nicks to the edges, partly reinforced from the verso. Edges irregular, partly creased and with small losses, some creasing, surface rubbed in places, slight ink show-through on the verso as well as remnants of a former mount. Overall in good condition. An excellent, richly inked impression of the expressive image, printed to the edges. - Appeal poster from the Nigerian Civil War, during which the blockade of the secessionist Republic of Biafra caused a famine that claimed some two million civilian lives. The image of the starving mother and child became the defining emblem of this catastrophe and shaped the first major humanitarian media campaign of the postwar era. The poster renders it as an expressively elongated, mask-like figure set against a radiant yellow sun, evoking the rising sun of the Biafran flag. Its expressive formal language, reminiscent of Nigerian modernism, and the handcrafted screen-print technique suggest it originated in Biafra or within the international solidarity movement. - A rare document of its time.