Nathaniel Currier, born Roxbury, MA - Grand National Whig Banner, Onward - unknown - T-Shirt

This is a 19th-century political banner printed for the Whig party, a grand national banner carrying the word "Onward" across its design.

Visual Elements & Composition

The print is built around the banner itself, with the word Onward as its central message. Lettering does the work here: a large, direct statement that reads at a glance, the way campaign banners were meant to be read from across a street or a parade route.

Meaning & Symbolism

Banners like this one were carried in nineteenth-century presidential campaigns to rally supporters, celebrate party platforms, and promote candidates. The Whig party used slogans and public processions to build voter support around national development, economic growth, and leadership. The print comes from the firm of Nathaniel Currier, who later partnered with James Ives. Their output recorded the events and public life of nineteenth-century America, and this banner is part of that record of the country's political history.

On the Unisex Heavy Cotton Tee

A banner is a design that is meant to be seen head-on and read in full, and this one works that way on a tee. The worn front of the shirt becomes the banner, so the wearer carries the slogan into the room and the design reads from the front of the body as it would from a crowd. The shirt puts a piece of 1800s campaign ephemera back into daily wear.