Sweet Rachel

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Text on Button Sweet Rachel
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White text on a red illustration of a heart on a white background

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Rachel Sweet is an American singer and actor who got her start as a child star in country music. She later became a rock act when she signed to Stiff Records where she recorded her debut album, Fool Around (1978), with backing from British band The Rumour. She retired from the music business in 1982 but returned to co-write and record the title song for the John Waters’ film Hairspray (1988) and songs for his movie musical Cry Baby (1990).

Catalog ID MU0165

Teach Tolerance

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Text on Button Teach Tolerance one heart at a time
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White and light blue text on a pink background

Curl Text coyright 1994 DONNELLY/COLT BOX 188, HAMPTON, CT 06247
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The “Teach Tolerance One Heart at a Time” phrase is a general human rights statement that promotes the idea of teaching people to be tolerant of each others differences. "One Heart at a Time" indicates the importance of an individual and that teaching tolerance to just one person can make a lasting difference.

Catalog ID CA0572

American Flag Heart 2

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Illustration of an American flag with a yellow ribbon around it

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In the United States the yellow ribbon is frequently a symbol of support for American troops. The earliest known instance of this is in the early 19th century when women wore a yellow ribbon in their hair as a sign of devotion to a spouse or sweetheart serving in the U.S. cavalry. Between November of 1979 and January of 1981 the yellow ribbon was displayed in support of Americans that were held hostage in Iran, but during the Gulf War in the early 1990's the ribbon appeared alongside the “support our troops” slogan and was used in this way again during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Catalog ID CA0574

American Flag Heart

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Illustration of an American flag in the shape of a heart with a yellow ribbon tied around it ona white background

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In the United States the yellow ribbon is frequently a symbol of support for American troops. The earliest known instance of this is in the early 19th century when women wore a yellow ribbon in their hair as a sign of devotion to a spouse or sweetheart serving in the U.S. cavalry. Between November of 1979 and January of 1981 the yellow ribbon was displayed in support of Americans that were held hostage in Iran, but during the Gulf War in the early 1990's the ribbon appeared alongside the “support our troops” slogan and was used in this way again during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Catalog ID CA0573

Everybody Loves Norman Rockwell

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Text on Button Everybody Loves Norman Rockwell
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Blue text around an illustration of a red paint palette shaped like a heart with two paint brushes

Curl Text copyright 1982 The Norman Rockwell Museum
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Norman Rockwell was a 20th-century American illustrator who is famous for his cover illustrations of The Saturday Evening Post, which portrayed the lives of average Americans. In addition to The Saturday Evening Post, he also illustrated the Boy Scouts calendars from 1925 to 1976. Some of his most famous works include Rosie the Riveter, The Problem We All Live With, and the Four Freedoms series. He produced over four thousand original works and was commissioned to illustrate over forty books. 

Catalog ID AR0222

Love That Floor

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Text on Button Love that Floor!
Image Description

White text on a red heart illustration on a white background

Curl Text SALE BLAZERS 7784
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The heart shape is a graphic symbol representing an expression of love. The use of the heart shape originated in the Middle Ages, though it wasn’t used to symbolize love until the 15th century. Today, it is frequently used to indicate a specific love of something.

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Catalog ID IL0041

La Prelle-Williams Shoe Company

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Text on Button LA-PRELLE-WILLIAMS SHOW CO'S MEN'S WOMEN'S TRAD MARK $ 250 SHOES
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Illustration of a red heart with an arrow through it with blue text around the outer edge.

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La Prelle-Williams Shoe Co. was a six-story shoe factory based in St. Louis, Missouri. The La Prelle-Williams brand was patented in 1900, and the factory began building in 1901. The company had salespeople who traveled throughout the Midwestern United States. The company only lasted for another year until the retirement of Williams, after which the name La Prelle-Williams Shoe Co. was changed to the La Prelle Shoe Co., which went out of business four years later. 

Catalog ID AD0707

Parisian Novelty Co.

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Text on Button PARISIAN NOVELTY CO. CELLULOID ADVERTISING NOVELTIES ESTABLISHED 30 YEARS Largest Exclusive Makers of this line. THIS PAPER CLIP IS JUST ONE OF OUR MANY SPECIALTIES 22ND 7 LA SALLE STS., CHICAGO
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Blue text on a white background.

Curl Text MADE IN AMERICA BY PARISIAN NOV. CO. CHICAGO
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The Parisian Novelty Company originated in Chicago, Illinois, in 1898 as a manufacturer of advertisement novelties such as pinback buttons. During the late 1800s, celluloid was popular for creating plastics due to its flexibility, durability, and transparency. The Parisian Novelty Company would reach its peak during the late 1910s, and early 1920’s when they created vanity cases, which were often used to hold money or makeup. The company would eventually be sold in 2008 and renamed Matchless Parisian Novelty, a manufacturer of pinback buttons and button parts.

Catalog ID AD0704

Canvas Products Co.

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Text on Button CANVAS PRODUCTS 3328 ST. CLAIR AVE. CLEVELAND 14, OHIO UT 1-2244 Service- Repairs New Tarpaulins
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White text on a green background with a clip attached

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Before the ubiquitous plastic blue tarp, canvas was the preferred material for making tarps. The full word, tarpaulin, is a compound word from “tar” and “palling” which refers to sailors covering objects on ships with tar-coated canvas palls.

Canvas Products Co. is not well documented, although they are in the 1955 Cleveland City Directory. At best estimate, this clip dates between 1949 and 1963.

Sources

Cleveland Ohio City Directory. (1955). Retrieved from https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16014coll29/id/57…

Tarpaulin. En.wikipedia.org. (2020). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarpaulin.

Private correspondence with Bob Prochko, Cleveland historian

Catalog ID IN0099

Culbertson, Montana 75th Jubilee

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Text on Button CULBERTSON, MONTANA 75th JUBILEE JUNE 1-2-3 1887 1962
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White text and a white illustration of a diamond shape with lines emanating along the bottom with a diamond like gem in the center for the button

Curl Text PHILA. BADGE CO. INC. PHILA. PA.
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This button commemorates the 75th Diamond Jubilee of the establishment of the town of Culbertson, Montana. The celebration activities took place from June 1- 3,1962. The expansion of the Great Northern Railroad led to the creation of the town in June 1887. The town was named for Major Alexander Culbertson who was the Clerk of Fort Union and the former head of the American Fur Company at Fort Union. The military posts along the Missouri River required horses to supply their cavalry units so the primary occupation of the townspeople was horse ranching. When cattle prices rose, cattle ranching took over as the predominant way of life. The Homestead laws of 1909 saw the arrival of homesteaders who increased the area’s farming output. For decades, the combination of successful harvests and the railroad served to make Culbertson a leading agricultural trading center of the area. After World War II, Culbertson saw a decline in both businesses and population. Today the town is home to an estimated 815 residents.

Catalog ID IN0088