Davy Crockett Sunbeam Bread

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button DAVY CROCKETT SUNBEAM BREAD
Image Description

Illustration of Davy Crockett on his knee looking to the left while holding his gun. Yellow background

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Year / Decade Made
Additional Information

Davy Crockett (1786-1836) was an American frontiersman, politician, and soldier whose larger-than-life exploits have been popularized in popular media. Commonly referred to as the "King of the Wild Frontier, Crockett held many attributes during his life. Crockett fought in the War of 1812 and later served in the U.S. House of Representatives. What Crockett is most well-known for, however, is his heroic death while fighting in the  Battle of the Alamo during the Texas War of Independence. Crockett's life has often been portrayed to mythical proportions, cementing him as an American folk hero. From 1954-1955, Disney released a five-part miniseries about Crockett. Starring actor, Fess Parker, the mini-series revitalized the story of Davy Crockett for a new generation. The series was popular at the time, which allowed Disney to sponsor spin-off merchandise. One example is from Sunbeam Bread, who began its own Davy Crockett bread line.

Sources

"Davy Crockett-Sunbeam Bread Button" Hakes Americana & Collectibles.  Retrieved from https://www.hakes.com/SaleList/ItemDetail/15835/DAVY-CROCKETT-SUNBEAM-B….

Catalog ID AD0741

Gimme Jimmy

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button GIMME JIMMY VOTE DEMOCRATIC
Image Description

Blue and white illustration of Jimmy Carter's head with white text above and below on a red and blue background

Curl Text PRUDENTIAL ADVT. CHGO. 60630
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
The Manufacturer
Additional Information

Jimmy Carter was the Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States in the 1976 presidential election. He faced incumbent Republican Gerald Ford who had become president due to Nixon’s resignation after the Watergate scandal. Carter won both the popular vote and the Electoral College in a very closely contested race with Ford. 

During his presidency, Jimmy Carter pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders, established both the Department of Energy and the Department of Education, and dealt with numerous foreign policy challenges including the Iran hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He was subsequently defeated in the 1980 presidential election by Ronald Reagan.

Catalog ID PO0917

Keep 'em Fed

Category
Additional Images
Text on Button KEEP 'EM FED
Image Description

Red, white and blue background with blue text over a white stripe

Back Paper / Back Info

WESTERN BADGE AND NOVELTY CO. ST. PAUL, MINN. union bug

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Year / Decade Made
The Manufacturer
Additional Information

"Keep 'em [Blank]" was the format for a number of slogans surrounding the US armed forces fighting in World War II. In particular, "Keep 'em Flying" was both a motto in support of the Air Force and later the title of a 1941 film in which two circus performers join Army flight school. Other slogans included, "Keep 'em Sailing", "Keep 'em Rolling", "Keep 'em Smiling" (a letter writing campaign), and, of course, "Keep 'em Fed", which encouraged citizens to ration food in support of the war effort and was frequently used by trade companies to advertise their donations to the troops.

Sources

Chicago Hardware Foundry Co. Trade Catalog. Smithsonian Institute Library, Trade Literature Collections. Retrieved from https://www.si.edu/es/object/SILNMAHTL_10752?width=85%25&height=85%25&i….

 

Catalog ID CA0679

I've Enlisted

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button I've enlisted
Image Description

White script text over a blue bottom third of the button and a white star over the upper red background

Curl Text BASTIAN BROS. CO. ROCHESTER, N.Y.
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Year / Decade Made
The Manufacturer
Additional Information

Following American entry into World War II, there was a surge of patriotism on the home front to support the troops fighting abroad. In particular, McCall's Magazine replaced its Valentine's Day cover in the wake of Pearl Harbor with a complimentary button and a pledge that read, "As a consumer, in the total defense of democracy, I will do my part to make my country ready, efficient and strong. I will buy carefully. I will take good care of the things I have. I will waste nothing.". More than 15,000 readers signed the pledge and the magazine was praised for its early action among the "Seven Sisters" group of women's magazines, all of which took on a patriotic stance that framed women and children as being at the center of the war effort at home.

Sources

Zuckerman, Mary Ellen (1998). A History of Popular Women's Magazines in the United States, 1792–1995. Greenwood Press.

Catalog ID CA0680

I Had a Chest X-Ray

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button I'VE HAD A CHEST X-RAY HAVE YOU?
Image Description

Blue, red and white text on a white crosslike shape on a blue background

Back Paper / Back Info

THE WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO. 
BUTTONS BADGES NOVELTIES AND SIGNS 
NEWARK, N.J.

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
The Manufacturer
Additional Information

In the late 1940s to 1950s, concentrated efforts were made in the U.S. to wipe out tuberculosis. Curbside radiology vans sponsored by tuberculosis associations serviced communities in performing x-ray exams. A national screening program emerged in 1950 from the Public Health Service’s Division of Tuberculosis. The efforts of the program resulted in 60 mobile units, each equipped with photofluorographic X-ray equipment that traveled across the country and performed free X-rays. X-rays were, at the time, seen and advertised as the most effective weapons against tuberculosis and the general public was encouraged to get yearly screening. Over 2 million chest X-ray examinations were performed throughout the country. Many states and counties ran their own programs to perform free x-rays in order to increase efforts against the rise of tuberculosis giving out buttons or lapel cards that read, “I’ve Had a Chest X-Ray. Have you?” The work resulted in a discovery of large number of cases that were now treatable at home with the availability of isoniazid. Concerns over the use of x-rays emerged from findings that even small doses of radiation exposure would prove harmful, which reduced use of x-rays for a time. States went on to ban the use of x-rays on humans by anyone other than medical or dental personnel. By 1970, tuberculosis had declined to an extent that the disease was rarely discovered through x-rays and the tuberculin skin test became preferred and less expensive way of screening.

Sources

Mobile x-ray outfit slates extra time. (1958, February 20). The Dothan Eagle. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/538772635

Pittard, J. C. (2015, November 19). A hospital for Ashe County: Four generations of Appalachian community health care. McFarland & Company, Inc, Publishers.

The early years of x-rays and informatics: A founding member of SIIM reminisces about the industry of 50 years ago. (2011, July 18). Imaging Technology News. https://www.itnonline.com/article/early-years-x-rays-and-informatics

Troan, J. (1953, March 17). Big ‘shadow hunt’ opens here next week. The Pittsburgh Press. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/143030625/

Catalog ID CL0500

Fist

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Image Description

Illustration of a fist

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

The symbolic meaning of the raised fist is that of unity and power, meaning that with fist in the face of opposition, the oppressed group is together and strong. It is documented that the Jewish community used the raised fist in protest of fascist sentiment in 1936. The raised fist was also used was at the summer Olympic games in Mexico, 1968. African-American track and field stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos stated that the Civil Rights movement was now in a passive stage and incomplete with more to be done, raising their fists to signal others stood behind that idea. Nelson Mandela also raised his fist when he was released from prison in 1990. The raised fist has also been associated with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Sources

“The History of the Raised Fist, a Global Symbol of Fighting Oppression.” National Geographic , 31 July 2020, www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/07/history-of-raised-fist-globa….

Catalog ID CA0674

Wow Yellow Heart

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button WOW
Image Description

Green text over a yellow illustration of a heart on a green background

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

WOW is a word to express awe, amazement, or surprise. The first use of “wow” was in the 16th century by the Scottish. It was then used frequently in the USA in the 1920s and again became popular in the 1960s.

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Sources

Wow (interj.). (n.d.). Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/wow

Catalog ID AR0366

Love Purple and Pink

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button LOVE
Image Description

Purple text and an illustration of a heart inside a circle on a pink background

Curl Text PAULA ©1967 MADE IN U.S.A.
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Year / Decade Made
The Manufacturer
Additional Information

Love is an intense affection for another person.

1960s era fonts were often used in slogans which promoted peace, love, and joy rather than war. The war between the USA and Vietnam went from Nov 1, 1955 to Apr 30, 1975.

The peace, love, and joy phrase was used by Hippies, short for hipsters, a subculture which began in the 1950s beatnik coffee house scene predominately in San Francisco. Hippies continue to exist today with new generations of liberal minded activists who believe in peace, love, and joy.

Catalog ID AR0341

Red and Blue Smile Guy

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button SMILE
Image Description

Red white and blue background with an illustration of a head wearing a hat on the top red stripe and two legs on the bottom blue stripe and blue and red text on the middle white stripe

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

To smile is when the corners of a person's mouth turns upward, sometimes showing teeth, to express a happy or content feeling. Encouraging others to smile can often be a positive motivator. A smile is a friendly gesture that is associated with spreading and feeling happiness.

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Catalog ID IB0176