Art of Protest Signs

Illustration and caricature gets the point across

A caricature of Donald Trump fellating Elon Musk's SpaceX-shaped penis while Vladimir Putin aims his missile-shaped penis at Trump's backside, and captioned “Love, not hate will make American great again.”

I’ve photographed protests for years, but while reviewing my photos from this year’s Women’s March here in NYC on March 8th I was struck that, unlike in previous demonstrations I’d photographed in which protestor’s signs were primarily text, perhaps with some symbols, now illustrations and caricatures often enhanced the signs, often with biting creativity.

Back in the protests of the 60s and 70s, I saw signs that were scrawled, painted, or, in the case of a Teaching Assistants’ strike at the University of Wisconsin, printed text. Symbols would sometimes appear—most often the peace symbol, sometimes a raised fist. At Occupy Wall Street in 2011, the signage was still primarily textual.

Two women with signs that read as one, on the left a reaching feline leg, reading “Keep your filthy paws,” the other with the matching paw feline paw and reading “Off my silky drawers.”

Lately things have changed, and the Women’s March is the most recent example. What drew my attention to these signs wasn’t just the fact that they were illustrated. It was also their cleverness, often accompanied by caustic analysis. We’re a more visual society, and it shows.

Two caricature signs, one of Donald Trump's rump in the act of excretion, reading “Russian Asshat Liar & Thief,” the other with a map of the U.S., all white, with Elon Musk as a child as if drinking milk from the U.S., reading “Get off our tit!.”

After the protests against the death of George Floyd in 2020, the Smithsonian collected many of the signs posted to the fences around Lafayette Square near the White House. Protestors left those signs on the fences after the Washington protests, making their collection and preservation possible; but most signs from this year’s Women’s March went home with their creators, so photographs of them may be the best records of their existence.

More of my images from the march are here.