An illustration of four jockeys riding hoses in different/several directions. 

Edgar Degas is a famous French artist who lived from 1834 – 1917. This work, Racehorses, was a work in progress from 1895 to 1899 and was made using pastels to paint. There are two other versions of this work that show variation in colors and details, but this particular version can be found at the National Gallery of Canada, in Ottawa, Ontario.

Photograph of one of Nick Cave's suits that is covered in red and yellow feathers on a white background. 

This is a button featuring a raffia "soundsuit" from Nick Cave's art exhibit, "Nick Cave: Meet me at the Center of the Earth." This was the first museum tour for the Chicago based artist; it started at the Seattle Art Museum March 10th, 2011. The exhibit included 50 soundsuits (wearable sculptures) made out of recycled materials, mixing the imaginary with reality and high fashion with African ceremony. The suits were put on display through dance and sound; dance performance artists wore them during the exhibit. 

Black text on a yellow background with an illustration of an airplane at the bottom.

Designed and built by the Howard Hughes’ Hughes Aircraft Company, the H-4 prototype flew its only flight on November 2, 1947.  The Spruce Goose was made of birch and spruce due to wartime restrictions on metals.  It was dubbed the “Spruce Goose” by the press.  It is currently housed at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. 

A blue illustration of Soldiers Field with a cross/heart/flower emblem is encircled by a blue oval between blue text on a white background. A ribbon with vertical black, red, white, blue, and yellow stripes hangs below the button.  

On June 28, 1926, the American Luther League of the Evangelical Lutheran Church conducted a celebration of the 150th birthday of the United States. Over 35,000 people attended patriotic exercises at Soldier Field, including singing national songs, flag drills, a 1,500 member choir performance, and speeches. 

The Luther League was a Lutheran religious association for young people in the United States, founded in New York City in 1888. The Luther League’s goal was to encourage young people to participate in Christian activities and foster loyalty to the church. 

Named as a memorial to American soldiers who have died in wars, Soldier Field was built in 1920 in Chicago and has been home to the NFL Chicago Bears since 1971, and also hosts large-scale events and concerts.

A woman in a dress, chest plate that has the words "I Will", and head piece stands between red text on a yellowed background. A brown ribbon hangs below the button featuring gold text and a gold shield depicting the Bible. 

The Chicago Coliseum was the premier indoor arena and convention center in Chicago from 1900 until the Chicago Stadium opened in 1929.  Located at 1513 S. Wabash Avenue, the Coliseum could house up to 12000 patrons at any given time.  The venue was closed in 1971 because it didn’t meet fire code standards and fell into disrepair.  It was demolished in 1982 and part of the Libby façade was donated to the Chicago History Museum.  The site is now occupied by the Soka Gakkai USA Cultural Center.  Coliseum Park, across the street serves as a commemorative space to the historic structure.

B.Y.P.U. was the Baptist Young People's Union. They held their 11th convention in Chicago July 25-28, 1901.

Black handwritten text with an illustration of suitcase on fire under it. Everything is set on a purple background. 

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Red text sits on a photographic background of a beer stain. 

Keep America Beautiful is an American non-profit organization that was founded in 1953. The organization's goals include litter prevention, recycling, waste reduction, and community beatification projects.  It works through community outreach, education, and volunteer efforts. The organization's first project attempted to reduce the amount of trash along the newly constructed interstates highways. It pursued the project through a national public service announcement (PSA) campaign. One of their best known PSAs is the crying indian who witnesses the litter and pollution of modern America. This button undoubtedly references the organization's PSAs in an attempt at humor.

A photograph of a dog riding a wave on a red surfboard with white and yellow text on a blue background. 

Bud Light used Spuds Mackenzie, a Bull Terrier, as a marketing device in the late 1980s. The dog’s first appearance was at the 1987 Super Bowl XXI. The advertising executive Mitch Meyers created the Spuds Mackenzie character. The terrier was controversial because it was a female dog portraying a male dog and also because of the dog’s appeal to children. The Mothers Against Drunk Driving organization was just one organization to pose the allegations that Anheuser-Busch was marketing their product to minors through Spuds Mackenzie. The dog was so popular that she had started to overshadow the product so after only two years of advertisements the decision to remove her from commercials was made. 

Here a couple of commercials where Spuds Mackenzie can be seen in action: commercial one, commercial two.

As you can see from this button, Spuds Mackenzie merchandise was also very popular during the life of the advertising campaign. 

White text on a red background. 

Jacob Schmidt created Schmidt beer in the late nineteenth century after he purchased a half interest in the North Star Brewery in St. Paul Minnesota. The brewery was located on Commercial Street and Hudson Road. Schmidt’s daughter and son-in-law took over the brewery’s operations after Schmidt retired in 1899. Not long after the company changed hands it burnt down. Nonetheless a new brewery was constructed in 1901 and the new facility was named the Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company.

During prohibition the company suffered but ultimately created non-alcoholic malt drinks that were very popular. The beer’s slogan is “Official Beer of the American Sportsman.” Most of the marketing for the brand draws upon the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest with Grizzly Bears catching Salmon. “I’m a Schmidtpicker” was an advertisement campaign that ran in the mid to late 1970s.

White text in a red box is surrounded by red text and red stars in a curved formation on a white background. 

The Schlitz brewing company began in 1849 when August Krug began brewing beer in the basement of his restaurant. Krug, a German immigrant, had his restaurant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1850 Krug hired a twenty-year old German immigrant named Joseph Schlitz to be the accountant for the restaurant and brewery. After Krug passed away in 1856 Schlitz renamed the brewery Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company.

The Schlitz Company has interesting ties to Chicago. The company sent thousands of barrels of beer to the city after the Chicago Fire of 1871. Furthermore, the slogan “The Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous” was introduced at the Columbian Exposition in 1893. The company became the largest brewery in the world in 1902, producing over 1 million barrels. Although the company had some rough patches during prohibition and World War II the company has continued to prosper. Schlitz, although owned by Pabst now, was extremely innovative as well. They were the first brewing company to introduce brown bottles, tall boys, and pop-top cans.

Kam's may refer to a local bar in the city of Champaign, IL. Popular with local college students, Kam's has been in business since 1931 and offers a variety of drinks and dancing.