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Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Main Attraction; A Free Fall
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

Main Attraction; A Free Fall

Artifact ID1973.1.576
Object Type Cartoon Drawing
Publisher ()
Date ca. August 1968
Medium Ink and colored grease pencil on drawing paper
DimensionsOverall H 16 3/4 in x W 14 in (42.5 cm x 35.6 cm )
Physical Description
Physical DescriptionOriginal cartoon drawing. A donkey with an unopened parachute ("Unity Pack") free-falls over a city skyline ("Chicago Convention") and hopes the ripcord will work. He falls through the air ("Unit Rule Ban", "Platform Plank Rifts”, "Nomination Haggling"). The donkey says, "At a couple of thousand feet I pull the ripcoard and the chutes supposed to open...I hope..I hope...I hope!!". Caption: “Main Attraction; A Free Fall”. Additional text at lower right: “New Orleans Times-Picayune, August 27, 1968”. Artist signature lower left: "Pletcher”.
Inscriptions and MarkingsHandwritten at lower left: "For President Lyndon B. Johnson with the very best wishes of Eldon B. Pletcher".
Historical NoteIn August 1968, the Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago and nominated Hubert Humphrey as vice-president. Because of Humphrey’s support for the Vietnam War as vice-president, many people in the Yippie and National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam organizations protested outside the convention. Earlier that year, the Tet Offensive increased opposition to the Vietnam War, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and the assassination of antiwar candidate Robert F. Kennedy. Fights broke out between antiwar protestors and the police, leading to the Chicago Seven trial where protest organizers were charged with crimes. Inside the convention, different groups of delegates from southern states fought to be the official delegation from that state. The Democratic National Convention demonstrated the disunity within the Democrat Party.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteThe item was a gift from the general public to President Johnson during his term in office. It was received by President Johnson, until the President donated it to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in 1973.
Credit LineGift of Lyndon Baines Johnson
National Archives Catalog CollectionLyndon B. Johnson Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 192413)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from the General Public (National Archives Identifier 189698395)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - Fully
Use Restriction NoteCopyright or other proprietary rights are held by individuals or entities other than the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. The LBJ Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions. Pertinent regulations can be found at 36 C.F.R 1254.62.
In Collection(s)
Not on view
Place of Publication
New Orleans
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