Red background with large, white text and a number one bisected by the text.

Black text on white background with red and white checkered edge.

In the 1940s, carnivals gave out checkered pin-back buttons as game prizes and souvenirs, many of which had funny phrases like “You’re the One” and “Jeepers Creepers” and also included titles of famous songs of the day, like “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No ‘Mo,” sung by Wendell Hall in 1923. This “I’m No Angel” button may be a variation of this. It would certainly fit the carnival theme, seeing as Mae West starred in the movie I’m No Angel (1933) as a sharp and seductive circus performer for “Big Bill Barton’s Wonder Show” who falls in love with Jack Clayton, a character played by Cary Grant.

Aged white background with black illustration of a rooster, black text, and a red and aged white checkered edge.

In the 1940s, carnivals gave out checkered pin-back buttons as game prizes and souvenirs, many of which had funny phrases like “You’re the One” and “Jeepers Creepers” and also included titles of famous songs of the day, like “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No ‘Mo.” This “Cock-A-Doodling” button may be a variation of such buttons.

White backgroudn with black text around the rim and an illustration of a large trailer truck in the center

The Port of Oakland, California—the city's Port Authority—is an independent city department governed by commissioners nominated by the mayor and appointed by the city council. A primary self-funded department, its major operations are in aviation, real estate, maritime, and port utilities. In 1971, Leanord Sloane wrote for the New York Times that the Port of Oakland created The Shipping Machine, a "combination of the four major modes of transportation near the port" and placed the image featured on this button in trade journal advertisements. The Shipping Machine has the cab of a tractor-trailer, parts of a container ship, the tail of a jet liner, and the base of a locomotive. 

Colorized photograph of a pond surrounded by lush greenery; a man with a long beard wearing a suit and fedora stands in the middle ground, looking toward the camera

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Pink triangle over white text on black background.

Silence=Death is a symbol and slogan created in the 1980's by Avram Finkelstein, Brian Howard, Oliver Johnston, Charles Kreloff, Chris Lione, and Jorge Socarrás to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic. The phrase was meant to criticize both the public stigma surrounding the disease as well as the Reagan administration's lack of response. The pink triangle was a symbol used by Nazis in the 1930's and 1940's to identify homosexuals, but by flipping it upside down, the creators of Silence=Death helped to reclaim the symbol for their community. The visual iconography was chosen to make the movement as inclusive as possible. As a result, the group of creators choose not to use photographs, but rather a more general symbol of a pink triangle.  

Silence=Death—and the upside down pink triangle—became a hugely impactful symbol, and eventually was adopted by the organization AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP). With its new symbol, ACT UP would go on to fight AIDS both in the U.S and around the world. As of 2024, ACT UP continues to advocate for the nearly 40 million people living with HIV and AIDS. 

Click here to see another version of this button held by the Museum

Black text on aged white background with red and aged white checkered edge.

“It Ain’t Gonna Rain No ‘Mo” is a hit 1923 folksong first recorded by Wendell Hall (1896-1969). Known colloquially as “The Red-Haired Man,” Hall helped bring “hillbilly” tunes onto the music scene, and “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No ‘Mo” is often considered the first hillbilly song. Despite selling more than 2 million copies of one of his records, Hall’s legacy was not everlasting; Hall saw several decades of recording success in the 1920s and 1930s but then faded away into almost obscurity.

In the 1940s, carnivals gave out checkered pin-back buttons as game prizes and souvenirs, many of which had funny phrases like “You’re the One” and “Jeepers Creepers!” and also titles of famous songs of the day, like “I’m No Angel,” sung by Mae West for her movie I’m No Angel (1933). This “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No ‘Mo” button may be a variation of such buttons and would certainly fit the theme of a country, or “hillbilly,” carnival.

Blue tinted head and shoulders portrait of a man in the center with red text on a white background surrounding the photograph

Born in England on December 28, 1763, John Molson moved to Canada as a teenager. He quickly found his place, helping to found what would eventually become Canada’s biggest and oldest brewery. While this accomplishment would be enough by most standards to earn him a beloved spot in history, Molson went on to help fund Canada’s first railroad system and introduced steamship travel to the St. Lawrence River. Through his philanthropy, he was directly responsible for Montreal’s transformation into a cosmopolitan hub of culture; he helped found Canada’s first public theater, the Theatre Royal, and built the popular and successful Mansion House Hotel.

Molson moved on to politics and served in Lower Canada’s House of Assembly before deciding not to run again and instead became the president of the Bank of Montreal and sat as chair of the Montreal General Hospital. Following that, he received a powerful political appointment on the Legislative Council, which served the Governor General.

Come December 28th this button might just inspire you to pour a glass of ice-cold Molson Canadian and raise a toast in John Molson’s honor.

Black outlined bubble letters above a smiley face on a pink background

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Red and black text on a white background

In 1904, The Louisiana Purchase Exposition commemorated the completion of the sale of land by Napoleon Bonaparte to President Thomas Jefferson in 1804. Lewis and Clark would set off that year on their famous expedition to explore the new acquisition. More commonly referred to as The St. Louis World’s Fair, held in St. Louis, Missouri, the fair was notable for many innovations including popularizing the ice cream cone. There are many remnants of the Fair which can be seen in St. Louis today.

To aid the many visitors who may become lost in the expansive fair and surrounding area, a St. Louis citizen may have worn this button as a prompt to answer questions.