When Eugene McCarthy ran for U.S. president in 1968 against incumbent Lyndon Johnson, his candidacy was based on his opposition to the war in Vietnam that was obliterating American troops, resources and unity. Shahn, a pacifist since World War II, was always outspoken on social and political issues and had created many works of art expressing his ideas. This image of a patriotically-striped dove created to publicize and support McCarthy's run was a natural successor to Shahn's moving portraits of pacifists Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Published by Health Professions for McCarthy, this striking poster was used to raise money for the McCarthy campaign and to advertise a rally being held that Spring in New York's immense Madison Square Garden. Shahn sold the original to a gallery on Long Island and contributed the entire proceeds to McCarthy's campaign.
