Carmel Magazine

CM Nov 1, 2016 Barrymore HO16_DigitalEdition

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residential elections happen every four years, and when they do, there is a collecting hunger for all things relating to the election, but particularly for those pin-on lapel buttons. I remember seeing little metal buttons in my mother's jewelry box when I was a young girl. They were not particularly pretty, so my sisters and I opted to play with the sparkly-jeweled pins instead. Had we known what their value would eventually become, perhaps we would have viewed them differently. A campaign button is a pin used during an elec- tion a s advertising for, or against, a candidate or par ty, or to advocate political platforms. Their appeal ranges from the most original, unique, vin- tage, rare or most recent. They may be found from the campaigns and inau- gur ations of United States Presidents as far back as George Wash- ington to our most recent candidates. As emotions run high during presidential election years, supporters who wear their hearts on their sleeves make their loyalties known in the form of a lapel button to express their political pride for a chosen candidate. And while current social media platforms are the evolution of campaigning, one of the oldest and most popular methods of political expression is that tiny campaign button. In the late 18th and first half of the 19th century there were sewn-on clothing buttons, like buttons on a blazer or uniform; whereas the mod- ern forms typically have pins on the back and are therefore called pin- back buttons. Since the first presidential inauguration, metal pins bearing the phrase, "Long Live The President" with George Washington's initials were worn by his supporters. W hen Abraham Lincoln became president in 1861, pins using the tin- type or ferrotype process were the first campaign buttons to use a picture of a presidential candidate. The pins featured Lincoln's image on the front and a locking pin on the back. However, the first mass production of metal but- tons dates to the 1896 William McKinley cam- paign for president. A metal disk with a straight pin was covered with a printed-paper message then protected by a layer of clear plastic, thus pro- ducing what was known as celluloid. This new production process and inexpensive printing technology by Whitehead and Hoag c reated low costs for the needed materials to pro- duce mass quantities of buttons, allowing for wide distribution and use as efficient campaigning tools. Republican William McKinley and Democrat William Jennings Bryan faced off in a presidential election that is remembered more for its cam- paign buttons than its politics. It was reported in the Omaha Daily Bee, on March 22, 1896, "When the campaign of 1896 passes into history, at least the buttons will long remain as reminders of its exciting days." William McKinley won the election of 1896 and would go on to win re-election four years later. 92 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 6 COLLECTING T E X T A N D P H OTO G R A P H Y B Y M A R J O R I E S N O W Campaign Buttons Live On Long After Elections P COLLECTING Vintage campaign buttons are highly collectible. These souvenirs can be found as far back as the days of George Washington up until present times.

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