Photograph of girl in center with a gold border.  Red flowers and leaves above and below photograph on a tan and beige background.

Photographic pinback buttons made with celluloid material were extremely popular from the late 1800s to the 1930s.  It was during the 1860s that photography became more available on the commercial market. Humphrey E. Copley of Connecticut sought a patent in 1861 to incorporate photographs onto buttons by utilizing a metal rim to hold the photograph in place. This technology coincided with the Civil War and mourners embraced the option of being able to wear visual representations of their loved ones. John Wesley Hyatt was an American inventor who received a patent for a product named celluloid in 1870. After refinement of the initial product, Hyatt’s celluloid became the first commercially profitable synthetic material. United States patent records reflect the usage of celluloid in making buttons with photographs in the late 1880s. In 1893 Benjamin S. Whitehead acquired a patent for using celluloid over the photo to protect the image. The increased availability of photography coupled with the ability of manufacturers to produce buttons inexpensively allowed the public to create a fashion fad out of the desire to have portable keepsakes.

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Photograph of man in center with gold border.  Illustration of tree stump, a crossed axe and mallet, and a leaf and scroll with black and yellow text on a black background.

Woodmen of the World was an insurance company that began during the 1880s.  They would pay the widow of the deceased $100 and provide a memorial stone free of charge if the widow would agree to put the logo of the company on the memorial stone.  Typically the memorial marker was either in the shape of a tree stump or had a carving of a tree stump and included the images of the maul and wedge, the ax, and the Dove of Peace, along with the latin inscription dum tacet clamat (though silent, he speaks). The headstone program was discontinued by the 1920s as it became to expensive to maintain.

The organization began calling itself WoodmenLife in 2015 and there are now more than 900 chapters throughout the United States. They conduct volunteer and charitable activities that benefit individuals and communities. 

Red, yellow and black text on a white background.  Black border with 12 regularly spaced demarcations.

Snacktime is the United Kingdom's third largest vending company. The London-based company was founded in 2001 and operates throughout the UK. They provide a variety of options, such as snacks, coffee, and water coolers along with cold beverages—the focus of this particular promotional advertising item.

Photographs of Lyndon B. Johnson and Hubert Humphrey inside a white silhouette of the United States.  White text on half blue, half red background divided horizontally.

Lyndon B. Johnson was the 37th President of the United States and Hubert Humphrey was his Vice President. In 1964, Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson ran for president against Republican Barry Goldwater. Johnson was already the incumbent president following the assassination of John F. Kennedy and ended up winning both the electoral college vote and popular vote in landslide. His popular vote percentage was. 61% - the highest since James Monroe's 1820 re-election. 

Johnson's presidency is mainly known for the "War on Poverty," civil rights movement and increased involvement in the Vietnam War, for which he garnered much criticism.

Photograph of bearded man wearing suit and bow tie.

Photographic pinback buttons made with celluloid material were extremely popular from the late 1800s to the 1930s.  It was during the 1860s that photography became more available on the commercial market. Humphrey E. Copley of Connecticut sought a patent in 1861 to incorporate photographs onto buttons by utilizing a metal rim to hold the photograph in place. This technology coincided with the Civil War and mourners embraced the option of being able to wear visual representations of their loved ones. John Wesley Hyatt was an American inventor who received a patent for a product named celluloid in 1870. After refinement of the initial product, Hyatt’s celluloid became the first commercially profitable synthetic material. United States patent records reflect the usage of celluloid in making buttons with photographs in the late 1880s. In 1893 Benjamin S. Whitehead acquired a patent for using celluloid over the photo to protect the image. The increased availability of photography coupled with the ability of manufacturers to produce buttons inexpensively allowed the public to create a fashion fad out of the desire to have portable keepsakes.

Have info on this button? Become a Button Museum fan and let us know.

Blue text on a white upper half of the button and white text on a blue lower half of the button

Columbus was named for Christopher Columbus and is the capital of Ohio. The city was established as the state's central place of politics in 1812, less than a decade after Ohio became a state in 1803. The city boasts an art museum, symphony orchestra, conservatory, botanical garden, and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, known as one of the country’s most renowned zoos and aquariums. Fast food giants, Wendy's and White Castle, are both headquartered in the city. Columbus is also home to the professional hockey team, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Cartoon-style illustration of seven Royal Canadian Mounted Police seated in front of a stage watching three beavers wearing blue lingerie and red maple leaves.  Red text on a white background.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP, or the Mounties) is the federal and national police service of Canada. The RCMP’s main responsibility is the enforcement of federal law throughout the Canadian provinces and territories. In addition, the RCMP oversees border integrity and security, issues firearms licenses to civilians, and provides police training both to Canadian and international police services. Since its establishment in 1920, the RCMP has become an iconic symbol of Canada, with the officers in their distinct red uniforms being depicted across a wide variety of media.

Another iconic symbol of Canada is the beaver, which was chosen as a national symbol in 1975. However, its historical significance dates back long before that. Early European explorers since the 1600s capitalized on the demand for fur hats, and soon both English and French traders would gain a high profit off of selling beaver pelts in Europe. Although overexploitation nearly wiped out the beaver population in the mid-19th century, conservation efforts have allowed for beavers to be once again ubiquitous throughout the country.

Illustration of the Earth viewed from a grey, cratered landscape on a black background.  Yellow and black text.

The National Air and Space Museum currently has two locations, the Smithsonian complex on the National Mall in Washington D.C., and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. The location on the National Mall was built after the collection had outgrown several other buildings. It was opened in time for the nation’s centennial in 1976. The Chantilly location was built in 2003. Not only is the museum the largest of the Smithsonian Institutions, but its Center for Earth and Planetary Studies is one of only nine of the Institution’s research centers. The collection currently is the home of over 60,000 objects but, it all began with a collection of 20 kites acquired from the Chinese Imperial Commission in 1876. Over eight million guests a year visit the two locations.

Black and white photograph of Niagara Falls.  Boat in foreground and black text in middle of button.

In the year 1938 the bridge connecting Niagara Falls, Ontario with Niagara Falls, New York collapsed. The bridge was know as the Upper Steel Arch Bridge or the Honeymoon Bridge and had been built between 1897-1898. It was, at the time, the largest steel arch bridge in the world. The collapse was caused by a massive amount of ice pushing against the bridge’s abutments.

Illustration of a winking man wearing a bowtie and carnation holding a straight razor above his head with black text on an orange and yellow background. 

Morrow County Ohio was established in 1848 and was named for Jeremiah Morrow who was governor of Ohio from 1822-1826. A centennial celebration for the county took place from Sept. 8-15, 1974. Shaving permits were sold as a means to raise money for centennial celebrations in towns across the United States. Most of the time the fundraising effort was conducted by an organization called the Brothers of the Bush. The organization got their name because they sought to embody the men who founded the town, most of which would have had beards. The Brothers of the Bush would convene anytime a town would be preparing to celebrate an anniversary of the town’s founding. At the beginning of the anniversary year, men could enter a beard and mustache growing contest. The men had to be entirely clean shaven when they registered. Anyone who didn’t wish to participate was supposed to purchase a shaving permit. These permits ranged in price from a couple of cents to a couple of dollars depending on the year the celebration was being held. All of the proceeds from the sale of the shaving permits and the registration fees were given to the town’s centennial celebration fund.