Red script text and red outlined stars over red stripes. White text inside of red stripes with white background.

Arlene’s Catering was a food service business run by Arlene Kmak in the Chicago suburb of Blue Island. The business operated as early as 1967 when it appeared in a newspaper article for catering an event held by the Blue Island Evening Women’s Club. Kmak and her business were very involved in local community events helping to stage an Easter bread sale at St. Donatus church, giving a presentation on wedding catering at the 1974 Kline’s Spring and Summer Bridal Show, and being a co-chairmen for the Mother of Sorrows Home and School Guild Fashion Show. In 1991, she was part of a group of business and community leaders to organize a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for local families of military personnel serving in the Gulf War. Arlene’s Catering donated all of the food to the event. Kmak died in 2011.

Metal mechanical button with blue image of building and tan background. The lever on the top shows text in the cutout window when it is up. When pressed, the spinner inside selects one of two profile images of presidential candidate men. The lever can be locked on a notch to display the selected candidate.

The antique mechanical “A Sure Winner” presidential campaign pinback button was produced for the 1896 election and features William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan. Made of lithographed tin, it displays the U.S. Capitol with a small doorway that reveals a candidate’s face when the steeple-shaped tab at the top is slid and tilted. Known as a “guesser” or “sure-winner” type, this novelty allowed users to “predict” the winner by aligning the button just right. The reverse reads, “Oh, Stop Guessing! Presidential Problem Solved. Capitol is upright, and the candidate is a sure winner.”

McKinley and Bryan were dominant political figures whose rivalry in the 1896 and 1900 elections symbolized a larger national debate. McKinley represented an industrial, gold-standard vision for America, while Bryan championed an agrarian, free-silver approach. The 1896 election marked a turning point in American political alignment, driven by economic unrest following the Panic of 1893.

These buttons were likely made by the Whitehead & Hoag Co. of Newark, New Jersey, one of the earliest producers of pin-back campaign buttons. The company held important patents in button manufacturing and pioneered many techniques in mass advertising novelties. Its innovations in lithographed tin and mechanical designs, like the “A Sure Winner” button, are still highly valued by collectors today. The firm prospered into the 20th century before finally dissolving after a sale in 1959.

See more innovative and unique buttons in action on the Busy Beaver blog.

Eyelashes and a smile in a face design covered with an orange ribbon to look like a bandana or scarf

After World War I, many women of the 1920s strove for independence, began to dress boldly, and went against regular societal conventions. The notable style of the "flapper" girl—short bob haircut, drop-waist dress, bedazzled headbands and turbans, and distinctive makeup—has become an iconic image of the 1920s.

Headscarves, as seen on the flapper girl in this button, were popular statement pieces that not only showed off the wearer's fashionable haircut, but also functioned more practically to keep the flapper girls's hair up and out of their face when dancing or driving. A popular scarf tying style was the “turban” that was twisted around the head and then secured with a bejeweled broach. 

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Pink text in white speech bubble on left. Green alien in blue spacesuit on right. Yellow background.

“Take me to your leader” is a popular sci-fi phrase that was first used in a 1953 cartoon published by The New Yorker. Since then, it has been stated on both the big and small screens for comic effect. The saying is most commonly uttered by an extraterrestrial being to the first human it encounters after landing on Earth.

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This quote by President Barack Obama is from his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. The Tenth Congressional District Democrats—the organization that created this button—has helped elect Democrats at all levels of government within Illinois’ 10th Congressional District since 2004.

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The "audacity of hope!" is a reference to Barack Obama’s keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, “Hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty, the audacity of hope..." Given a few months after Obama won the Democratic Primary for United States Senate, the speech received rave reviews. It put in him on the map for the US Senatorial race, which he ended up winning in November 2004.  

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Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He made history by becoming the first African American President of the United States. His father was from Kenya, and his mother was from Kansas.

Obama started his political career in the Illinois State Senate, serving from 1997 to 2004. He was then elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, and just four years later, he was elected the 44th President of the United States. He served two terms, from 2009 to 2017, and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

His 2008 presidential campaign was groundbreaking. Running on a message of “hope” and “change,” Obama energized millions of voters—especially young people and first-time voters. His campaign used social media and grassroots organizing in new and powerful ways, helping him build a strong nationwide base of support. His ability to connect with people and inspire optimism set him apart, and he defeated Republican nominee John McCain to win the election.

As president, Obama focused on rebuilding the U.S. economy after the Great Recession and on improving education, health care, the environment, and foreign relations. He opposed certain parts of the Patriot Act, supported stronger gun control, and pushed for clean energy. Some significant accomplishments from his presidency include the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, the passing of the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), the Iran nuclear agreement, and the renewal of diplomatic relations with Cuba.

After leaving office, Barack and Michelle Obama founded the Obama Foundation to continue their work in public service. One of their major projects is the Obama Presidential Center, currently being built in Chicago, which focuses on community programs and leadership development. They also support international leadership efforts, especially in Africa and the Asia-Pacific, to help develop and empower the next generation of changemakers worldwide.

Blue and red block letters on blue Illinois state with red background and white text on left. Upper right with white text on blue background. Middle right  with blue text on white background. Lower right is white text on blue background.

In 2004, John Kerry won the Democratic nomination for the United States presidential election. Kerry and his vice presidential pick John Edwards ran against incumbent President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. During their 2004 campaign, Kerry and Edwards endorsed Barack Obama in Illinois’ senatorial race. In the same year, Lee Goodman ran as a Democrat to unseat Mark Kirk, the Republican incumbent representative for Illinois' 10th congressional district. People traded these Illinois 10th congressional district Kerry-Edwards-Obama buttons all over the U.S. and even in Guam. While Kerry and Edwards lost the presidential election to Bush and Cheney, and Goodman lost to Kirk, Obama won the senatorial race in a landslide with 70% of the vote. Obama would also go on to be the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017.

Blue and red block letters on blue Illinois state with red background and white text on left. Upper right photograph of John Kerry and John Edwards with white text on blue background. Lower right blue text with photograph of Barack Obama on white background.

In 2004, John Kerry won the Democratic nomination for the United States presidential election. Kerry and his vice presidential pick John Edwards ran against incumbent President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. During their 2004 campaign, Kerry and Edwards endorsed Barack Obama in Illinois’ senatorial race. People traded these Illinois 10th congressional district Kerry-Edwards-Obama buttons all over the U.S. and even in Guam. While Kerry and Edwards lost the presidential election to Bush and Cheney, Obama won the senatorial race in a landslide with 70% of the vote. Obama would also go on to be the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017.