Q: And Babies? A: And Babies
Object Label
In the wake of the 1968 My˜ Lai massacre in South Vietnam, where U.S. soldiers murdered between 347 and 504 civilians, members of the Poster Committee of the New York–based Art Workers Coalition (AWC) created And Babies? to fuel outrage at the Vietnam War’s brutality. AWC’s widely distributed poster combines a documentary photograph taken by U.S. Army photographer Ronald L. Haeberle with an excerpt of a CBS News television interview with soldier Paul Meadlo. Media coverage of the killing, as well as sustained artist protests, propelled the atrocities committed by the U.S. Army to the forefront of national consciousness.
Caption
Irving Petlin American, 1934–2018; Jon Hendricks American, born 1939; Frazier Dougherty American, born 1944; The Artists' Poster Committee of the Art Workers' Coalition; Original photograph of the My Lai massacre by R. L. Haeberle born 1941. Q: And Babies? A: And Babies, 1970. Offset print on paper, 25 x 38 in. (63.5 x 96.5 cm) frame: 38 1/8 x 48 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (96.8 x 122.2 x 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Catherine Morris, 2014.101. © artist or artist's estate
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Title
Q: And Babies? A: And Babies
Date
1970
Medium
Offset print on paper
Classification
Dimensions
25 x 38 in. (63.5 x 96.5 cm) frame: 38 1/8 x 48 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (96.8 x 122.2 x 4.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Catherine Morris
Accession Number
2014.101
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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Frequent Art Questions
Was the original photograph taken in color?
The original photograph was indeed taken on color film! The artists here have manipulated it in a way that makes is appear recolored, but all of Heberle's photos of the aftermath of the massacre were taken in color.Very interesting, thank you.Tell me more.
The AWC was an alliance of artists who shared an opposition to American military involvement in Vietnam. This poster was created in response to the 1968 My Lai massacre in South Vietnam.Can you tell me more about this?
For me, this is such a powerful piece. The poster was produced in an edition of 50,000 copies by the Art Workers Coalition.The AWC was an alliance of artists who shared an opposition to American military involvement in VietnamTell me more.
This print was created by the Artists' Poster Committee, an arm of the Art Workers Coalition, an activist group that, for one, opposed American military involvement in Vietnam.This poster was originally conceived as a joint project between AWC and the Museum of Modern Art's Executive Staff Committee, but MoMA withdrew support when the president of the board deemed it too political and not directly relevant to the museum.
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