Illustration of a person made of fruit dressed in top hat and kilt

Keiller is a well-known brand of marmalade named after Janet Keiller (1735-1813) who, in 1797, adapted an existing recipe for marmalade by adding orange rind. The Keiller brand was bought by Crosse & Blackwell Ltd in 1920. After a number of changes of ownership, it was eventually subsumed into the Roberston’s brand in 1988.​ Keiller was a leading brand of chip-marmalade (containing the fruit rind) and a major competitor to the likes of the Roberston’s Golly and William Moorhouse Sunny-Sunglow brands. In its heyday, Keiller marmalade was exported worldwide especially to expatriates throughout the British Empire. Keiller stoneware jars are still found everywhere.

Alex Keiller opened a new factory in Guernsey (Channel Isles) to produce his Dundee (Chip) Marmalade under the same label. The new factory accounted for over a third of all Keiller’s output and was established to take advantage of the island’s exemption from the new Sugar Tax. The Guernsey factory operated there from 1857 to 1879 which also gave the company better access to the more lucrative markets of South-East England, including London.

Illustration of a woman hiking up her dress to fix her stocking while a man stares from the lamp post holding a sign that falsely indicates he is blind.

An Edwardian naughty joke from the early 1900s, the illustration portrays a woman seeing a "blind" man, which gives her no accord as she lifts her skirt up to daringly show her leg. The joke is on the woman because the blind man isn’t blind, which can be inferred from his glasses, head tilt, and facial expression. Skirts in that era revealed no more than an ankle, as that was considered modest for the time. The woman’s fashion is very up to date and her silhouette has the fashionable S-bend, bodice shows the “pigeon-breasted” monobosom, and large hat is carefully pinned to sit forward on her head. Similar fashion can be seen in a 1903 Edison silent film, The Gay Shoe Clerk, whose plot similarly features a woman who gives an eyeful to an unfortunate shoe clerk.

Illustration of boy in baseball hat and pink nightgown holding a baseball bat on a white background.

The Little Pinkies were a series of 20 pinback buttons made by Whitehead & Hoag Co. for American Pepsin Gum to give away in their packages of gum. The Little Pinkies appeared in 1896. Some say that they were a very early comic strip. Others suggest the characters were inspired by the popularity of Palmer Cox’s Brownies.

Pepsin powder was used in many chewing gums in the 1890s as is was thought to cure indigestion, or dyspepsia as it was called then. In fact, Pepsi-Cola was marketed as a digestion aid around the time this button was made.

For other Little Pinkies buttons in our collection, you can visit the Policeman, the Colonel, and the Boot Black.

Illustration of boy with blue fez in pink pajamas carrying soap box and pencil

The Little Pinkies were a series of 20 pinback buttons made by Whitehead & Hoag Co. for American Pepsin Gum to give away in their packages of gum. The Little Pinkies are not very well documented. All sources say that they appeared in 1896. Some say that they were a very early comic strip. Others suggest the characters were inspired by the popularity of Palmer Cox’s Brownies.

Pepsin powder was used in many chewing gums in the 1890s as is was thought to cure indigestion, or dyspepsia as it was called then. In fact, Pepsi-Cola was marketed as a digestion aid around the time this button was made.

For other Little Pinkies buttons in our collection, you can visit the Policeman, the Colonel, and the Boot Black.

Illustration of soldier in blue coat and red hat on white background.

The Little Pinkies were a series of 20 pinback buttons made by Whitehead & Hoag Co. for American Pepsin Gum to give away in their packages of gum. The Little Pinkies appeared in 1896. Some say that they were a very early comic strip. Others suggest the characters were inspired by the popularity of Palmer Cox’s Brownies.

Pepsin powder was used in many chewing gums in the 1890s as is was thought to cure indigestion, or dyspepsia as it was called then. In fact, Pepsi-Cola was marketed as a digestion aid around the time this button was made.

For other Little Pinkies buttons in our collection, you can visit the Policeman, the Colonel, and the Boot Black.

Ivory and yellow text on purple background.

"Not always right but never in doubt" is a phrase attributed to Davey Crockett (1786 – 1836) who was a US Congressman for the state of Tennessee. He joined in the Texas Revolution and died in the Battle of the Alamo.

Yellow text on dark blue background.

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Blue outlined text on orange button.

ESP is an acronym for Extrasensory perception. It is also called sixth sense and often relates to the idea of a "psychic sense" or a sense of the mind such as telepathy. The term was adopted by Duke University psychologist J. B.. Today, ESP is often considered pseudoscience by most, but it is still studied and believed to be true by others.

Image of red NO sign over black illustration of Ronald Reagan on white background

Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States, serving in office from 1981-1989. He remains a divisive figure in American culture today; he is revered by political conservatives, while Democrats oppose his core tenants and policies. Reagan’s presidency embodied the “New Right,” and renewed social conservatism, a political philosophy committed to traditional values and social institutions. As president, Reagan escalated the Cold War, supporting anti-communist groups around the world with the goal of rolling back Communism. Reagan’s time in office is also defined by his economic policies. Commonly known as Reaganomics, the major economic policy objectives were to reduce the growth of government spending, reduce the federal income tax and capital gains tax, reduce government regulations, and tighten the money supply to reduce inflation.

Opposition to Reagan’s policies and values was a constant throughout his presidency, particularly in liberal circles and by left-wing activists. The most lasting opposition to Reagan comes from the music, particularly punk and hardcore music, from the 1980s. Reagan and his policies inspired a myriad of songs, leading up to the “Rock Against Reagan” concerts in 1984.

White text on blue background

The American presidential election was held on November 6, 1984, in which Republican Ronald Reagan was elected to a second term, defeating Democrat Walter Mondale, a former U.S. vice president. Reagan won 49 states en route to amassing 525 electoral votes to Mondale’s 13—one of the biggest landslides in U.S. election history. The election was also notable for being the first time a major party had a woman on its ticket—Geraldine Ferraro, Mondale’s running mate.

Mondale made history by choosing as his running mate Geraldine Ferraro—the first woman selected by a major political party for its presidential ticket. At the time, Ferraro was a three-term congresswoman from New York, and it was hoped that her nomination would galvanize the campaign. It did initially, but the Democratic ticket was derailed almost immediately by a monthlong controversy over the finances of Ferraro and her husband, a New York real estate operator. The Mondale-Ferraro ticket attempted, without success, to find an issue that would resonate with voters. Reagan won virtually every demographic group except African Americans. His margin of victory over Mondale was nearly 17 million popular votes, the second largest in history; it was surpassed only by Richard Nixon’s margin over McGovern in 1972. His electoral landslide of 525–13 was second only to Franklin Roosevelt’s 523–8 margin over Alf Landon in 1936. Mondale carried only the District of Columbia (three electoral votes) by a convincing margin. He won his home state of Minnesota by a scant 3,800 votes (less than 0.2 percent).