News Release

San Francisco – The walls of the Jewett Gallery at the Main San Francisco Public Library have been turned into mini history lessons with content drawn from editorial cartoons, drawings, photos and news clips from American publications about the U.S. annexation of the Philippines. Colored: Black n’ White- The Philippine-American War in American Popular Media 1896-1907 is an eye-opening exhibition that conveys the political, racial and gender sensibilities surrounding the Philippine –American War. However, most unique is the corresponding text for each image that provides the public a Filipino perspective of the War and the depictions of that time.

“People of color have long been political subjects portrayed to look inferior through imagery,” said Estella Manila, Filipino-American Center Librarian. “This exhibition, although at times very bold, forces us to look at history through images of propaganda used during the Philippine-American War.”

Prior to the Library, Colored: Black n’ White has been on view throughout the state and around the globe from Santa Barbara to Manila. The contents of the exhibition was assembled from personal collections by Abe Ignacio, his wife, Helen Toribio, a college instructor, and Jorge Emmanuel, an environmental scientist. Gathering the images displayed in the exhibition became a passionate journey for Ignacio, the son of Filipino immigrants. Researching the Philippine-American War sparked his interest in learning more about the political depictions and underlying racism. “It was exciting, like a treasure hunt,” said Ignacio of his shopping spree for old magazine illustrations and cartoons, which he often found at antique stores, bookstores or online.

Colored: Black n’ White: The Philippine-American War in American Popular Media 1896-1907 opens in the Jewett Gallery at the Main Library on Saturday, August 14 and will be on view through Thursday, October 21. A related lecture with the exhibition’s curators and opening reception will also take place on August 14 at the Main Library from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Also a reflective and insightful panel discussion titled, Past and Present: Racial Stereotypes in Popular Media will be held in the Koret Auditorium at the Main Library on Thursday, October 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The curators will also have advanced copies of their not yet released book, The Forbidden Book: The Philippine-American War in Political Cartoons (T'boli Publishing and Distributor) available for purchase through Book Bay at the Main.

For more information, please call 415-557-4277.