Posters and Oversize Graphics

Consists primarily of posters and original artwork made from plate or blocks, such as inks, silkscreens, and woodcuts. Drawings include images where there is a dominance of line over mass, such as charcoal, pencil, caricatures, pastels, and illustrations. The posters document both foreign and domestic performances of Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, as well as sentiments and interests of fans including works of political, social and cultural interest. Among these posters are items from Ellington's landmark tours of the Near East in 1963 and his 1971 tour of the Soviet Union, as well as, promotional posters created during Ellington's stint with RCA Victor Records. The posters are divided into foreign and domestic tours, non-Ellington posters, and oversized graphics. The foreign tours are further arranged by country/language and the domestic tours are further arranged by state or city. The oversized graphics are arranged into awards and citations, calendars, graphics, photographs, paintings, and drawings. Among the materials are drawings and illustrations composed by contractors for Tempo Music's sheet music covers. These illustrations also came from fans as drawings, graphics, greetings, and gifts. Illustrations include Christmas cards from the White House, illustrations, and photos of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. All oversized materials are arranged by location of item and then alphabetically. All dimensions are approximate and are given only for oversized materials. They are measured in inches, with the height of the poster or graphic followed by width. Titles are the only descriptive information listed in Subseries 6: Original Artwork for Tempo Sheet Music.