ONE Archives: Posters and Graphic Materials

A history of the lambda

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A history of the lambda

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A History of the Lambda

Lambda, the eleventh lower-case letter of the Greek alphabet, is the forerunner of our letter “L”.

) ) ay) Originally, the letter was a picture symbol for the scales

often seen being carried by the figure of Justice. » With the passage of time,

y Yee. AY; the lambda bore less of a visual resemblance to a scales, and

its meaning became more abstract
4B, 23 the concept or qualities of balance.
The Greeks believed that balance

was a reconciliation between two opposites,

\
and as such /))

\

was not a Stable state

SS

but one needing continuous adjustment.

Finally, due to the influence of Greek philosophy, the lambda emerged as it appears in modern day form; the small hook was added

\
to the base of the letter to indicate on: [1] that some form of action was necessary
SN

to bring about a state of equilibrium, and! [2] that constant action was necessary;to maintain that state once it had been achieved.

The ancient Spartans adopted the lambda as a symbol of their unity. Worn as a logo on their shields,

to be totally free and independent.
They also thought that each individual must be bound to society
f individual choice and desire. But, each Spartan recognized that only in a common bond
ae ee
could rere]! || LM to preserve their existence as a free and equal people.

As Rome rose to conquered the then known world, v)

0
borrowed many things of value from the Greek culture. === Among these was the lambda!
Owing to the fact that the Romans saw the overall! shape 1 of the lambda as suggestive of a flame,
a it was used as the symbol for “lampas”——— —their Latin word for torch.

In our day, scientists seeking a symbol for the wavelength of light ‘o> [to set up an equation]

z and the lambda, because of its connection with the torch, was chosen

The lambda’s most recent historical association ——-—-—with light——-— began to take on an added meaning, one of a social nature.
As a symbol of freedom for gay people,
the lambda has come to represent the

“light of knowledge shed into the darkness of ignorance”

and promises hope of a new future, with dignity, for gay men and women everywhere. Today, the lambda is recognized
© 9 for sexual liberation; for justice and enlightenment;
4 in acceptance of differences

all humanity.

© 1975 Michaux & Co.

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Description

Text continues: "Lambda, the eleventh lower-case letter of the Greek alphabet, is the forerunner of our letter 'L.' Originally, the letter was a picture symbol for the scales often seen being carried by the figure of justice. With the passage of time, the lambda bore less of a visual resemblance to a scales, and its meaning became more abstract in that it came to represent the concept of qualities of balance. The Greeks believed that balance was reconciliation between two opposites, and as such, was not a stable state but one needing continuous adjustment. Finally, due to the influence of Greek philosophy, the lambda emerged as it appears in modern day form; the small hook was added to the base of the letter to indicate that some form of action was necessary to bring about a state of equilibrium, and that constant action was necessary to maintain that state once it had been achieved. The ancient Spartans adopted the lambda as a symbol of their unity. Worn as a logo on their shields, it signified the special balance which they felt must exist between an individual and the state. They believed that the demands of society should never interfere with each person's right to be totally free and independent. They also thought that each individual was bound to society only by individual choice and desire. But, each Spartan recognized that only in a common bond could they hope to preserve their existence as a free and equal people. As Rome rose to power are conquered the then known world, the Romans borrowed many things of value from Greek culture. Among them was the lambda! Owing to the fact that the Romans saw the overall shape of the lambda as suggestive of a flame, it was used as the symbol for "lampas"--their Latin word for torch. In our day, scientists seeking a symbol for wavelength and light [to set up an equation] drew on the historical past and the lambda, because of its connection with the torch, was chosen. In the sixties, when the quest for gay liberation began to emerge as an organized movement after the famous Stonewall riots, the lambda was selected as a gay symbol because of its famous historical associations. Previously symbolizing justice; balance and the reconciliation of opposites; unity and the relationship between man and his society; freedom, equality and independence of the individual; and light--the lambda had those qualities which best represented the objectives of gay people. As acceptance of the lambda symbol became more widespread and its popularity grew, use of the symbol spread rapidly across the United States. The lambda's most recent historical association--with light--began to take on an added meaning, one of a social nature. As a symbol of freedom for gay people, the lambda has come to represent the 'light of knowledge shed into the darkness of ignorance' and promises hope of a new future, with dignity, for gay men and women everywhere. Today, the lambda is recognized as a unique international symbol for gay rights; for sexual liberation; for justice and enlightenment; as well as for needed balance in acceptance of differences by and within all humanity." Brown text on parchment background. The poster contains small brown drawings corresponding to the history outlined in the text.

Asset Metadata

Title A history of the lambda

Subject Gay culture (subject), Semiotics (subject)

Tags OAI-PMH Harvest

Type images

Format 1 print : lithograph, color (format), image/tiff (imt), posters (aat), sheet 64 x 42 cm (poster format). (format)

Language English

Source ONE Archives: Posters and Graphic Materials (subcollection), ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives (collection), University of Southern California (contributing entity)

Relation References Online Archive of California: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c89p37jd/ (references)

Creator Michaux & Co. (creator)

Contributor Coll2018-001 ONE Archives LGBTQ Poster Collection (provenance)

Publisher University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Repository Email askone@usc.edu

Repository Name ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives

Repository Location 909 West Adams Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, 90007; phone (213) 821-2771

Rights This item is protected by copyright. Copyright holder is unknown, unidentifiable or unlocatable. For more information, see https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-RUU/1.0/?language=en

Access Conditions This online display has been made possible by a generous grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources. For access to the physical items, contact ONE Archives at askone@usc.edu; or...

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/one-c4-46472

Identifier map-case 5.4 (box), P03026 (call number), one-2018001-p03026~01.tif (filename), one-c4-46472 (legacy record id)

IIIF ID [Document.IIIFV3ID]

DM Record ID 46472

Unique identifier UC12336521

Legacy Identifier one-2018001-p03026~01.tif

Type Image

Internet Media Type image/tiff

Resolution 16.3 in × 24.2 in at 300dpi
41.4 cm × 61.7 cm at 300dpi

Inherited Values

Title ONE Archives: Posters and Graphic Materials