Have you noticed that it’s an Election Year?
To get in the mood, I thought I’d get out my little collection of political buttons to show you. And I’ll say right off the bat, that I’m not favoring one side or another, just enjoying the whole history of politics through the years.
I guess our favorite political button would have to be the Lincoln photo and ribbon with old brass eagle pin attachment. The photo is cardboard and is encased in a simple brass frame. This could date to 1860-1864 or so.
Click to enlarge, click to enlarge photos.
Two other early “runners” were William Howard Taft (1908) and Coolidge and Dawes (1924). The Taft button is a repro from 1967 so hardly counts as special, but I’ll include it.
The next in line are Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his opponents (he ran and was elected four times!) and I’ve circled those around a little Terrier that I like to think of as FDR’s little dog “Fala”. Famous White House dog.
The little yellow button at top right is Landon/Knox and is mounted on a felt “sunflower”.
After the Roosevelt era, 1948 brought Truman running against Dewey and in 1952 Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. This was about the first election I remember at all (in my crib). I like the Adlai button because it’s known as a “flasher”. When you move the button, it changes from his portrait to a slogan “All the way with Adlai”.
Then along came Kennedy-Nixon in 1960. (Johnson, Goldwater, Humphrey, Miller)
Let’s take a break from buttons and look at this little different collectible vignette:
And another flasher button–this time George McGovern– (1972)
turns into———
Working our way forward to the Carter-Ford-Reagan-Mondale years, in no particular order . . . (1976-1984)
And finally, some odd ducks—that button top left, in back is an old Goldwater/Miller button and is also a flasher . . .
Well, you might imagine that all this activity has made a complete mess of loose buttons–that had been organized somewhat—and stray pieces of patriotic fabric. Who is going to put all this away again?
Not me! I’m starting a new –well, it’s an old one–puzzle called “Pick a Winner” by Sprinkbok. See ya later!
What a great collection!