A collection of missing person posters created in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks will be showcased in a new exhibition commemorating the 25th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack in United States history.
The display highlights the immediate human impact of the tragedy through hastily designed flyers that once appeared on windows and walls across the city, pleading for information about loved ones who had vanished.
Phil Buehler, an artist and photographer, recalls seeing one of these early posters on September 11 itself. The sign, posted on the window of a Tribeca bar providing food and water to first responders, read “Missing” and sought details about a person who disappeared during the attacks.
“I was like, ‘Wow, this is going to be …'” Buehler remembers. He watched the twin towers collapse from his office window and recognized the grim reality of the situation. “But you knew that there would be very few survivors. You knew that then.”
A powerful tribute to those lost. These posters make the scale of grief feel personal and immediate again.
Did anyone find the people on these flyers? It’s heartbreaking they were stored instead of searched for sooner.