“A Plea to Our Fellow Workers”

Ralph Chaplin, Solidarity. 

This image was meant to inspire solidarity among the ranks of the International Workers of World (IWW) during a period when the union was under pressure of prosecution as a result of its opposition to World War I. During this time, IWW headquarters, meeting halls, and members’ homes were raided, and one hundred and eighty-four IWW members and organizers were rounded up and brought up on charges of conspiracy and treason. The prosecutions were the beginning of the slow disintegration of the IWW and its colorful and intense advocacy for “One Big Union.”

This item is one of many examples of the visual culture of the IWW to be found in the Labor Arts exhibit Solidarity Forever: A Look at Wobbly Culture.