Black and white photograph of a man's head with an outer white edge with red text

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American born minister who was best known as the leader of the African-American Civil Rights Movement during the 1950's and 60's. King used nonviolent based methods, stemming from his background in the Baptist church, to lead a movement towards racial equality throughout the Southern states and then throughout the entire United States. His first famous protest was the 1955-56 Montgomery Bus Boycott, which started when Rosa Parks refused to give her seat on a Montgomery bus to a white woman and ended with the desegregation of Montgomery busses. Martin Luther King Jr. rose to prominence as an important leader of the boycott and, in 1958 he published a book, Strides Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story about his experience with the protest. He included accusations from his opponents that there were no problems in Montgomery until he and his movement caused them. The quote "True peace is not the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice" comes from his response to these accusations.

This button is used to commemorate Martin Luther King's birthday on January 15, the 1963 March on Washington on August 28, or the Riverside Church speech (against the Vietnam War) on April 4, 1967, a year before Martin Luther King's death.

Black text on an orange background

Censorship is the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are "offensive" and happens whenever some people succeed in imposing their personal, political, or moral values on others. Censorship has been criticized as being unfair and hindering progress. Some consider it to also be counterproductive as it prevents the censored topic from being discussed. This button represents censorship through irony by censoring the button itself. 

Black text on a white background and white text on a red box along the bottom

This button is part of a campaign for Banned Book Week sponsored by Random House. Banned Book Week is a response to censorship- the act of suppressing ideas and information that part of the population finds unacceptable- and promotes the First Amendment right to free speech by encouraging people to read books that have been censored. Several organizations, including the Library of Congress and the American Library Association, support this campaign and encourage readers to protect intellectual freedom by opposing censorship. Banned books include the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

Illustration of a black and silver can with white and blue eys and red text

The subject of this button is an illustration of a can covered in eyes with the phrase “I can” at the center. It is a play on words and has humorous undertones.

The font of the phrase on this button closely resembles an iteration of Futura, a typeface frequently used in the second half of the twentieth century, specifically the condensed, extra bold version of Futura. This version of the typeface was used in a near ubiquitous way throughout the 70s and 80s in advertisements and logos, notably by Nike. The universal and commercial aspects of the font was riffed upon by the Guerrilla Girls, an art movement founded in 1985 critiquing the traditions of the art world, as well as Barbara Kruger, whose art deals with issues of capitalism. This button’s illustration carries a similar provocative and playful energy to the Guerrilla Girls and Kruger’s work, using the font ironically in an artistic rather than commercial way.

Considering the fact that the button’s manufacturer was founded in 1972 as well as the style of the button, it is safe to assume that the button was created at some point in the 1980s or 1990s.

Illustration of a green creature with large pointy ears and large eyes and teeth wearing a red hat with a yellow circle on the front on a white background

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Dark blue button

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Color painting of a boy in a red scarf and wide brimmed hat on a dark blue background

This painting of a Boy Scout was done by artist Norman Rockwell and used on posters advertising the celebration of Boy Scout Week from June 8-14, 1918. A similar image was used on the 1919 cover of Boy’s Life, the Boy Scouts’ magazine. Rockwell paintings adorned the cover of over 50 of the magazine’s covers. Rockwell had a 64 year relationship with the Boy Scouts. He was an illustrator for the Hike Book, the art editor of Boy’s Life Magazine, and produced images for the Boy Scout Calendar.

Black and white photograph of a man with a mustache and short hair in a suit

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.

Black and white photograph of a man in a suit and tie with his hand on his chin

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.

Black and white photograph of a man in a light colored suit in front of a dark 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.

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