Case 5: Central American Printed Ephemera

 

The Latin American Library (LAL) collects rare print collectibles or ephemera in the form of brochures, pamphlets, flyers, posters and other non-traditional formats documenting a wide variety of topics, principally on art, tourism, politics, entertainment, popular culture, and activism. Materials on display in Case 5 and in the 4th floor lobby exhibits come from several of the LAL’s printed ephemera and manuscript collections on Central America.

 

The Central American Printed Ephemera Collection (CAPE) is the oldest collection of ephemera at the LAL, with more than two thousand items dating from the 18^th century to the present. Holdings touch upon a variety of topics, but the vast majority is political in nature.

 

 

Above, a selection of pamphlets from the Nicaragua Sandinista Archive Collection dating to the 1980s published by the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) in support of the revolution against the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua.

Alongside of these, anti-Communist pamphlets from the CAPE collection.

 

 

Wanted posters

 

Posters and poster art also became an effective format for Central American revolutionaries in the 1980s and 1990s to transmit their messages to the larger populace. Several examples from The Latin American Library’s printed ephemera collections were featured in a lobby exhibit.

The “wanted poster” is a form of printed ephemera used by law enforcement agencies to alert and seek assistance from partner organizations and the public in the apprehension of suspected criminals. These notices began as plain text descriptions listing physical characteristics and distinguishing features, habits, or behaviors. By the end of the 19^th century, advancements in print technology made it possible for “wanted” notices to include images of suspects to accompany written descriptions. In the 20^th century, the “wanted poster” format, including French criminologist Alphonse Bertillon’s (1853-1914) “mugshot” (frontal and left profile photograph images of the face and head), have been used to depict public figures as criminals.

Shown are “wanted posters” c. 1980s of: below, Daniel Ortega, leader of the Sandinista government in Nicaragua from the CAPE collection; and above, United States President Ronald Reagan from the Nicaragua Sandinista Archive.

 

Ciudad de Panamà

 

 

 

Above, a facsimile of a hand-colored etching of a view of the Panama City coastline with galleons and smaller boats in the foreground, from the series Hecatompolis sive Totius Terrarum Oppida Nobiliora Centrum, published by Petrus Schenk (1660-1711) in 1702. The compendium consisted of one hundred views of important cities of the world on the eve of the 18^th century.

 

Rubini Family Map Collection

Among the LAL’s printed ephemera holdings are two thematically focused collections. The Latin American Art Ephemera Collection contains printed ephemera relating to Latin American art, artists, art exhibitions, and the Latin American art scene. The Latin American Travel and Tourism Ephemera Collection is dedicated to the history and marketing of travel and tourism to and within the region of Latin America and the Caribbean dating as early as the 19th century.

 

Below, selections from the Latin American Art Ephemera and Latin American Travel and Tourism Ephemera Collections.