Political Buttons

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.

Lincoln photo ribbon; ©booksandbuttons

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.

Taft and Coolidge; ©booksandbuttons

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.

Roosevelt and friends/competition ©booksandbuttons

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”.

buttons from 1948, 1952; ©booksandbuttons

Then along came Kennedy-Nixon in 1960.  (Johnson, Goldwater, Humphrey, Miller)

buttons from the 1960’s; ©booksandbuttons

Let’s take a break from buttons and look at this little different collectible vignette:

Nixon promotional stamps/joke penny©booksandbuttons

And another flasher button–this time George McGovern–  (1972)

McGovern flasher button©booksandbuttons

turns into———

McGovern flasher button ©booksandbuttons

Working our way forward to the Carter-Ford-Reagan-Mondale years, in no particular order . . . (1976-1984)

misc buttons;©booksandbuttons

And finally, some odd ducks—that button top left, in back is an old Goldwater/Miller button and is also a flasher . . .

Women vote, too! Two examples here—and one button even has
a woman on the ticket! ©booksandbuttons

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!

“Pick A Winner” by Springbok puzzles