COMERCHERO, Victor | Violence and the American Dream

Wilson, Sarah, ed. Violence and the American Dream. Push Pin Graphic No. 55. New York: Push Pin Studios, 1969.

Square 8vo.; 16 pages; 4 full-page cutaway plates in color; white wrappers, original glassine; front slightly soiled; small tear at top right of spine. .

First edition. Design by Milton Glaser.

Push Pin Studios was founded in New York in 1954 by Seymour Chwast, Milton Glaser, and Edward Sorel (Reynold Ruffins joined the group shortly thereafter). A revolutionary force in the field of graphic design, the celebrated partnership began when the foursome met as students at the Cooper Union. What followed was twenty years of collaborative graphic expression, as Push Pin redefined and expanded the imprimatur of the designer, illustrator, and visual culture at large.Started as a freeform publication sent to friends and clients in 1957, the experimental and groundbreaking Push Pin Graphic, quickly developed a dedicated following, eventually running for 23 years and 86 issues. Their work, which rejected tradition in favor of reinvigorated interpretations of historical styles (Victorian, art nouveau, art deco), provided a fresh counterpoint to both the numbing rigidity of modernism, and the rote sentimental realism of commercial illustration. The essay in this issue was written by Victor Comerchero, a Sacramento State University English professor who was known for his passionate political activism.