In today’s episode of Celebrate the Bible, the focus is on Christian-themed black light posters from the 1960s and 1970s. Original posters, like “Sermon on the Mount” and “The Garden of Eden,” are showcased, emphasizing their popularity and artistic significance. The collection highlights the evolution of Bible representation in visual arts.
LISTEN NOW (6 minutes):
(Recorded with the Yamaha YCM705 studio microphone into the Yamaha-Steinberg AXR4)
PODCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Today on Celebrate the Bible, we’ll look at Bible themed black light posters.
For those who may not be familiar with black light posters, they were printed with a special ink that contained what are known as phosphors. These inks would fluoresce — or glow — when illuminated with special lights that operated in the ultra-violet part of the spectrum. These lights were commonly referred to as black lights.
The posters and lights were very popular between the mid 1960s through the first half of the 1970s. Actually, they’re still popular today as collectibles.
For most people, the posters would be placed on walls and illuminated with overhead lighting. For those that did not use black lights, the posters themselves were very colorful as-is, as you can see, without any type of special lighting at all.
What I would like to do today is show a selection of Christian based black-light posters from my Celebrate the Bible collection. Although many of the older posters are still being reproduced today, the posters in my collection are all originals from the time period.
As with all of my other episodes, if you are listening to this as a podcast, and would like to see the photos, you can do so by going to my WordPress site at celebratethebible250.com. If you don’t see the link to the story, just type “posters” into the search box, and the result will come up.
First, lets begin with an original 1971 “Sermon on the Mount” poster by artist Roberta Ehrlich, published by Third Eye, Inc. of New York City, NY, USA.
It contains scripture from St. Matthew 5:1-9. It is part of my 1960s-1970s pop-culture category of Celebrate the Bible. It is a fluorescent “black-light” poster, which glows very brightly when illuminated.
Now, the poster doesn’t contain the entire text of Matthew 5:1-9, so I would like to read it to you.
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 and he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Next up, I have a poster that may be more familiar to you compared to the first, and that is “The Garden of Eden”. This is a poster dated for 1970, and I believe it is still being reproduced and sold today.
Like many posters of this era in American history, it was part of the “Jesus Movement” back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.
Many more “formal” Bible institutions would not likely include 1960’s Biblical-themed psychedelic art in their collections. But I do! I try not to miss anything when it comes to how the Bible has been visually depicted throughout history.
From ancient Babylonian cuneiform clay tablets, to 21st century three-dimensional laser holograms … it ALL has a place in my Celebrate the Bible collection!
As my Grandma would say “Good enough is the enemy of your best” … and I sure do not want to have just a “good enough” collection! Thanks, Grandma!
And finally for today’s installment, I have a black-light poster that is more along the lines of traditional art work visually — at least in comparison to black-light art work. It is one of the earliest in my collection: a 1967 art work by Irving Docktor, a very famous illustrator.
It is printed in both regular inks and fluorescent inks. It lights up when illuminated with UV light. I photographed it here with a combination of both regular and ultra violet light.
The title of the piece is “Begat”, as in the Bible: “Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob“.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing this abbreviated collection of black-light posters from an era not that long ago!
So, until we meet again, and for celebratethebible250, this is Francis Douglas.
If you would like me to give a presentation at your church, school, gallery, or organization, please let me know.
My contact information is below.
The topic I cover is the History of the Christian Holy Bible in America.
Your group will not only learn about it. They will also see, on display, pages from the most significant Bibles in American history.
I will be available for Southern New Jersey, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Northern Delaware.
CONTACT (for presentation inquiries only please):
Available for Southern New Jersey, Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Northern Delaware.
America 250 Semiquincentennial Bible Celebration 