Black and white photograph of a man's head and shoulders with black text around the outer edge on an off-white background.

The Prudential Company was founded in 1875 as The Widows and Orphans Friendly Society by John F. Dryden, selling burial insurance to the working poor.  Prudential soon began selling life insurance to the working class for 3 cents a policy and has since grown to be a Fortune 500 Company operating in over 30 countries.

George Dewey (1837-1917), a life-long naval officer, served in the Civil War and was at the helm of the Mississippi in Farragut’s division for the capture of New Orleans.  He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1899 and full Admiral in 1900 after he led the victory over the Spanish Fleet in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War.  After the war, Dewey was welcomed home with a two-day celebration in New York City.  Dewey ran for president in 1900, but after it became obvious he would not have a successful race, he withdrew and endorsed McKinley.  Three Navy ships have been named after Dewey, the most recent being a guided-missile destroyer.

Red text on a white background with a red outer edge

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Black and white photograph of a man in the center with red, white and blue stripes around it and gold banners above and below with black text and white stars

Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., nicknamed “Stormin’ Norman” and “The Bear” was a United States Army general who led all coalition forces in the Gulf War. He gained a reputation as a commander who led from the front and was willing to risk his own life for his troops. He retired shortly after the end of the war and was involved in philanthropy and politics until his death in 2012.  

Illustration of the Oval Office of the White house with a blue outer edge with white text

Bill Clinton announced his 1992 presidential campaign in October 1991.  Clinton won the majority of Democratic delegates and announced Al Gore, a junior senator from Tennessee, as his running mate.  Clinton and Gore defeated President George H.W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle on November 3, 1992.  The pair took office on January 20, 1993. 

Roy Lichtenstein, a pop artist, was commissioned to create this illustration of the Oval Office as part of the "Artists for Freedom of Expression" project benefiting the Democratic National Committee.  It was also later used in a commemorative inaugural poster.

Illustration of three horses pulling a car in the desert with orange and yellow text and an outer white edge

Building on the success of the first two films, Back to the Future Part III is a science fiction western released in 1990.  Starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the movie follows Marty McFly as he escapes 1955 in a time machine DeLorean to travel to the Old West in 1885. His goal is to rescue Doc Brown and send them both back to the future.  The film grossed over $200 million worldwide.

Illustration of a child in a blue hat and an orange and yellow striped top putting a yellow star on the top of a pine tree with red lights on the five points of a star mounted behind the button

Mary Hamilton was a master artist at Hallmark with a talent for telling charming stories and bringing beauty to everyday objects. Her illustrations brought extraordinary innocence and sweetness to life. Some of her work showcases whimsical characters for Hallmark greeting cards and designing ornaments with cute angels. Her most notable images are bears that appeared on cards, albums, ceramic plates, mugs, books, puzzles, stickers, and buttons (as seen here). Her work became so popular that she developed a loyal fan base. Hamilton served as an illustrator, mentor, and friend to many across Hallmark’s creative community until her retirement in 2015 and her subsequent death in 2017.

Photograph of a colorfully lit up building with illustration of Reddy Kilowatt and a gold circle with black text on a black background

The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair emerged from the efforts of a team of New York businessmen and politicians who intended to use the fair to showcase the city's economic strength and to attract new businesses and Robert Moses, the president of the fair, who hoped the venture would provide funding to complete his dream of a major new city park in Queens. 

The Electric Power and Light Company's pavilion, the Tower of Light, served as one of the fair's numerous sights and attractions. The tower was sponsored by 150 investor-owned utility companies through the country. The tower consisted of 600 aluminum prism fitted together to form an eye-catching pattern. Visitors entered the building through a moving ramp that carried them over a reflecting pool and deposited them on a giant turntable. The turntable revolved past seven chambers, stopping at each chamber for a new episode of a musical presentation, The Brightest Show on Earth. The musical show featured animated three-dimensional talking figures, electronically controlled and electronically lighted, with a character called Reddy Kilowatt introducing Ben Franklin to the modern uses of electricity. At night, a 12-billion-candlepower beam shot brightly into the sky. Admission to the tower was free. 

The tower was awarded the Total Electric Award as part of the "Live Better Electronically" campaign effort of General Electric (GE) and Westinghouse corporations' joint venture to promote the sales of electric appliances and to extol the benefits of electric power.

Blue text on a white shield shape on top of a blue and red background with white stars

Ernest Henry Davy was an Illinois native, born on November 20, 1890 in Braceville Township, IL to English and Welsh immigrant parents; he had nine siblings. Davy had two distinct professions during his tenure working: he was a farmer from 1915-1936 and then worked in real estate and insurance sales until 1956—which is the approximate era of this promotional item. He married Amanda Watson on March 3, 1915, and the couple had two children. In addition to his professional roles, Davy was also a justice of the peace, a member of the United Methodist Church, and a Modern Woodman of America. He died on March 26, 1975.

Orange and brown text and an illustration of a character with a baseball bat on a white background

The St. Louis Browns Major League Baseball team originated in Milwaukee as the Brewers, moving to St. Louis in 1902. "Brownie the Elf" was originally designed as the logo for the Cleveland Browns football team in the late 1940s. Possibly inspired by the brownie creatures of Scottish folklore, the earliest versions of Brownie as a team logo are credited to Dick Dugan, who became the sports cartoonist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Brownie the Elf served his brief mascot duty for the St. Louis Browns from 1952-1953, just before the team moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles. 

Black text on an orange background

This button from the 1940 elections encourages the wearer to vote for both the incumbent Democratic President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt and Democratic candidate for Governor of Illinois Harry B. Hershey. While Roosevelt would be successful and go on to serve his third term as President, Hershey would ultimately lose to Republican Dwight H. Green. Hershey, a former state’s attorney, would later go on to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court from 1951 to 1966.