‘Free Bobby (Seale)’ Black Panther Button

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A black-and-white photograph of a “Free Bobby (Seale)” Black Panther Button pinback button, by Platon. The round, white, pin back button features a black-and-white illustration of the Black Panther Party emblem: a crouching, snarling black panther. Black text printed above and below the emblem reads [FREE] and [BOBBY]. The surface of the button is darkened in several areas. The background of the photograph is black. The photograph has a thick white border. The edition number, [5/12], is printed in the bottom left corner. The photographer’s signature and date, [Platon 19], is handwritten in the bottom right corner. Inside the border, at the bottom center, is the photographer’s embossed mark: [PLATON ? / EDITIONED ? / PRINT ?[encircled between two bands of embossed dots]]. The back of the photograph is plain and white.

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