A Sign Unto You

A Sign Unto You: Posters in Wheaton Archives & Special Collections

This exhibit consists of a selection of posters from Wheaton Archives & Special Collections that have been used in the ministry of Christian evangelism, primarily in the 20th century.

These posters reflect a wide range of purposes, visual styles, time periods and geographic locations. They are offered with a minimum of explanatory text for the visitors’ enjoyment and edification.

Explore the Collection

Discover these historical materials through multiple perspectives or the curated sections below:

• Browse: View all items in the collection
• Subjects: Explore by theme or topic
• Timeline: See how evangelistic design evolved over time
• Map: View the geographic spread of these materials

Curated Sections

Come to the Meeting

This section contains examples of perhaps the most basic type of poster - that which gives the day, time and place of some event in which the creator of the poster hopes people will be interested. These posters all announce evangelistic meetings of one type or another, some in detail, others with the greatest possible simplicity.

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Evangelism in America

While posters for various revival meetings and evangelistic rallies form a large part of American evangelistic posters, Christian organizations and artist also created posters meant to relay specific religious messages or be used as devotional aids in the home or church. Through bold imagery these posters reflect the dynamic and evolving nature of American evangelism.

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Global Evangelism

These posters are examples of preaching and Christian discipleship aids used across the globe in village and street evangelism, as well as given out by churches and mission conferences for personal use in the home. The collection here comes mainly from China, Tibet, and India, although Wheaton Archives & Special Collections holds additional examples from South America and Africa.

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Onward Missions

Along with gospel posters used for preaching aids (see the "Global Evangelism" section of this exhibit), mission organizations also developed posters to promote their work at home and on the field. These posters highlight groups of missionaries or missionary projects across North America, Latin America, Europe, India, and Africa.

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Pace Cartoons

These posters are samples from 1932 of the weekly Bible-based cartoons created by artist Ernest James Pace (1880-1946) to illustrate a particular Sunday school lesson. They were printed by the Sunday School Times of Philadelphia, PA, in the United States. The cartoons were then turned into posters and distributed by the Gospel Truth Poster Service.

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