Gold and black text over yellowed background. 

This promotional button advertises the Whitehead & Hoag Company.  This company was started by Benjamin S. Whitehead and Chester R. Hoag in 1892. It was to later become one of the largest advertising novelties manufacturers, and the company was the largest button manufacturer. Interestingly, the company would pay children who lived around their factory to place pins and paper in the back of buttons, since the machines lacked the capacity to do so. The company accepted button orders from groups like the Socialists, the Communists, among others. In WWII, they halted regular button production and transitioned into producing identification buttons. They did eventually return to producing buttons sometime after WWII ended. The company was later sold to the Bastian Brothers and the company’s original name was retired in 1965.

WHITEHEAD & HOAG COMPANY HISTORY. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tedhake.com/viewuserdefinedpage.aspx?pn=whco

Photograph of a businessman encircled by gold border over black background. 

The"Photomaton" was the name of the first Photo booth. It was invented by Russian-American photographer Anatol Josepho in 1925. The original Photomaton was located in New York Cty cost 25 cents to operate, and took 8 images per customer. In 1927, Josepho sold the patent rights to his invention to a group of investors led by Henry Morgentahau for a million dollars. In 1934 the Photomatic was invented, it was completely automated and replaced the Photomaton in photo booth locations around the United States.

Smug, orange sun above black text over yellow, plastic background. 

Palm Springs is a desert city in Southern California. It has a hot desert climate and over 300 days of sunshine a year. The city became a resort city in the early 1900’s when health tourists flocked to the city to treat conditions that required the dry desert heat. The city is known for its hot springs, resorts and hotels, golf courses, spas, and mid-century modern architecture. Palm Springs has also become a popular destination for retirees.

Lenticular lady's eye between white text over purple background. 

"My eyes have had it! Have yours?" was part of an advertising campaign for Martin Optical. The Martin Optical practice was located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and operated during the late 1950s to the early 1970s. The campaign targeted children and ran in The Gettsyburg Times in the 1960s.

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Blue text on a white background and a symbol with PNCo on the top left.

The Parisian Novelty Company was a button producing company which was founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1898. In 2008, the button portion of the Parisian Novelty Company was sold to the Matchless Group and renamed Matchless Parisian Novelty, Inc.

The button addresses "Mr. Banker" which draws attention to the light-hearted profession of button sales compared to the stereotypically stodgy environment of a bank. However, it then explains that buttons, though "gimmicky," may be beneficial to the advertisement of a bank. The button also provides contact information for a salesperson by the name of Louis L. Joseph, jr.

Red outlined Santa face with googly eyes framed by red text over white background. 

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Blue circle with white stars encircled by red circle encircled by red text and stars over white background with stake through the center. 

George McGovern (1922-2012) was a democratic candidate for US President in 1972. In addition to supporting abortion rights and the legalization of marijuana, he became the first US Congressman to speak out against the Vietnam War in 1963. McGovern was not a peace dove. He served in the Army Air Force (1943-1945) during World War II (1939-1945).  McGovern flew thirty-five combat missions while piloting a B-24 Liberator, earning him the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service in European Theatre.

Marijuana print text over American flag (featuring marijuana leaves in place of stars) background. Metal clip glued to the top right of the button face. 

Mirror in the center of white text on blue background. 

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Black text on light wood-colored background.

A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation. The fair's motto was "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms." The fair held many different events including logrolling, in which lumberjacks or other competitors attempt to balance on a log the longest while it is rolling in the water. The contest involves two lumberjacks, each on one end of a log floating in the river. One starts rolling the log, and the other is forced to keep up. The lumberjacks try to stay on the log while attempting to cause the competitor to lose their balance.

In the 1920s and 1930s, log rolling was popular as a spectator sport. A group of log rollers headed by Jimmy Murray toured the country, attending state and county fairs, exhibiting their skills to the public through trick and fancy log rolling.  The 1933 world champion of log rolling, Wilber Marx, was featured in a popular news reel of the time, and he gained national popularity.  This group of log rollers would have been the featured performers at the 1933 World’s Fair log rolling exhibition.