Hunter S. Thompson for Sheriff: The Aspen Wallposter 5 (The Aspen Wallposter, 1970). Rolled, Very Fine-. Two-Sided Poster (1...

Description

Hunter S. Thompson for Sheriff: The Aspen Wallposter 5 (The Aspen Wallposter, 1970). Rolled, Very Fine-. Two-Sided Poster (15.5" X 21.75") Thomas W. Benton Artwork.
Offered here is an original campaign poster for counter-culture icon Hunter S. Thompson's run for sheriff of Pitkin County in Colorado. The piece was produced as an edition (#5) of The Aspen Wallposter, a pioneering multi-media publication in the form of a large-format fold-out poster combining avantgarde writing, poetry, and political commentary with cutting edge graphic design. The campaign poster was designed by Thomas S. Benton and features a red, double-thumbed fist clutching a psychedelic peyote button against a sheriff's star background. This emblem was embraced by Thompson for the rest of his life, and served as the model for a real-life monument erected on the writer's property after his death. A political statement by Thompson is printed on the back of the poster, in which he explains the meanings of "Freak Power," a political movement he claimed to represent. The candidate writes, "This is the real point: that we are not really freaks at all - not in the literal sense - but the twisted realities of the world we are trying to live in have somehow combined to make us feel like freaks. We argue, we protest, we petition - but nothing changes. So now, with the rest of the nation erupting in a firestorm of bombings and political killings, a handful of 'freaks' are running a final, perhaps atavistic experiment with the idea of forcing change by voting... and if that has to be called freak power, well... whatevers right." At the time of the campaign, the demographics of Aspen, Colorado were undergoing a strenuous change. Liberal-leaning hippies were discovering the quiet mountain town, populated by conservative ranchers, while real estate investors sought to acquire large swaths of land to develop the area into the resort town it eventually became. All were in opposition, and Thompson's campaign blended satire, radical politics and genuine reform. His platform included everything from the outlandish (renaming Aspen to "Fat City" to deter developers) to authentically progressive (disarming police and prioritizing environmental protections). Ultimately, the run was unsuccessful, and incumbent sheriff Carroll D. Whitmire won by a narrow margin of 114 votes. The campaign became legendary, an emblem of the fight of the counterculture against the establishment, and this poster is an important artifact from a time period when profound societal change seemed just around the corner. Gel-backed, there were repairs to edge tears and enlarged pinholes. There is light staining at the top and bottom of the verso, but generally, the poster presents well.


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