Vaishravana

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Illustration of Buddha wearing red robes and holding a golden staff while sitting on a red and gold throne. There is a white lion with a blue and gold sun rising behind them. They are standing on green grass and there are green, white, and dark blue clouds in the blue sky background.

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The image on the button depicts a manifestation of Vaishravana (Son of Namto), the Buddhist Lord of Wealth.

The wrathful warrior god with wide round eyes gazing to the side, is a guardian of the North, leader of the Kings of the Four directions. He is wearing gold beaded jewelry and riding his growling white lion on a speckled sun disk through clouds. He is a benevolent god who bestows wealth and protects Dharma. He is holding the victory banners in his hands, safeguarding against harmful interference. In Buddhism, lions are proud and majestic and they're often symbolic of the bodhisattvas, beings who have attained a high level of spiritual development and made the vow to renounce the happiness of the highest enlightenment. The iconographic representation of the lion might be originated in Persia.

Vaishravana symbols and statues could be found in many religious sanctuaries across Asia. In some depictions, he can be seen holding a mongoose caught in the moment of spewing a jewel on his right hand. Atisha, a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire of Bengal and a key figure in Tibetan Buddhism, popularized this form of Vaishravana riding a snow lion during the 11th century.

Catalog ID AR0132

Bloodhound

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Text on Button BLOODHOUND
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Illustration of a large brown dog with its nose to a pool of water while standing on green grass that is yellow further back in the scene and a blue sky. Text curved across bottom of the button.

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The Bloodhound has one of the best noses in the canine world.

This button is part of a larger set of 35 buttons, each with an illustration of a different dog breed. The were originally sold on a 6” x 9” cardboard sheet.

Catalog ID AR0076

Lucky Feller

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Text on Button "Lucky Feller" REG
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The words "Lucky Feller" listed in the enter of the button in red letters. Words are over a tan red-trimmed background. 

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THE WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO.  BUTTONS, BADGES, NOVELTIES, AND SIGNS  NEWARK, N.J

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"Lucky Feller" might refer to the British TV sitcom from 1976. The 13 episode sitcom starred David Jason, as the younger of two brothers who live with their mother and run a small plumbing repair business. 

Catalog ID EN0128

Zrób To

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Text on Button ZROB TO!
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White text on an orange-red background.

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zrób to! is Polish for "do it!"

Catalog ID IB0312

Star Sale of the Year

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Text on Button STAR SALE OF THE YEAR
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A gold star with text on a blue background.

Curl Text GREEN DUCK CO. CHICAGO
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Every year, Goldblatt's department stores would hold their Star Sale of the Year, usually in May or June, offering deep discounts on selected items. Founded in 1914 by Polish immigrant brothers, Goldblatt's was a chain of local discount stores that operated in Chicago, Illinois as well as Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Over the years, the chain of stores grew to more than twenty. However, as business declined in the 1990s, Goldblatt's started closing some of its stores before finally closing completely in 2000.

Catalog ID EV0270

Thank God I Am An American

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Text on Button Thank God I am an American A.N.U.
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Blue text on white background.

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The American National University (ANU) was developed in 1886 when a group of educators and businessmen and women thought that advanced degrees should be more career focused. There was a need for people to be trained in banking, accounting, administration, and other professional fields. The university was located in Roanoke, Virginia, served the southeastern United States, and was originally called National Business College. As the college grew over the first 100 years of its existence it began to change from a more traditional campus with dormitories to a network of community-based-campuses throughout Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. In the college’s first years students could only receive certificates, but today they can receive baccalaureates and even master’s degrees. Today there are 31 campuses in six states and a growing online program. 

Sources

History & Vision – Evolution 2086. (2014). American National University. Retrieved from http://www.an.edu/

Catalog ID CL0128

I Dunked One

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Text on Button I DUNKED ONE
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Orange background with black text

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Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Catalog ID CL0161

Pennsylvania Railroad

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Text on Button PRR
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Large yellow interlocking text in a red keystone on a white background.

Curl Text CHARLES. PROD. CO. ROCKVILLE, MD. 20852
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The Pennsylvania Railroad was based out of Philadelphia and was founded in 1846. It would not only become one of the largest railroads in United States history, it would also be the first railroad to use steel-bodied cars and include the vestibule. The initial goal of the railroad was to connect Philadelphia with the cities in the west (Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland.) Furthermore, the Pennsylvania Railroad was also responsible for constructing many railroad stations; including Penn Station in New York, Union Station in Chicago, and Union Station in Washington D.C. to name a few. The railroad continued to expand until it hit some financial difficulties in the 1970s. Even though the Pennsylvania Railroad declared bankruptcy it still remains one of the largest railroads in the world. The railroad also helped to stimulate industrialization and growth in the United States. 

Catalog ID AD0371

Before You Ask

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Text on Button Before You Ask The Answer Is No
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Blue edges and blue text on a white background. A drawing of a man with brown hair, wearing a green suit is pulling a woman in brown hair, in a red dress. Red lines are used to show the ground. 

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During the Second World War, women showed their bravery on the home front and became an integral part of the war effort for their respective countries. Their tireless participation in the workforce opened the door to new rights and a renewed interest in feminism in the aftermath of the war. In 1944, French women gained the right to vote, and soon after, American women would set a second wave of feminism in motion with the hopes of attaining equality.

To be on the same playing field as men when it came to culture and politics, women from the mid-twentieth century were calling the sexist power structure into question. They began to heavily challenge the notion that women were to strictly be wives and mothers confined to the home. They also pushed back against restrictive reproductive laws and protested for equal pay. At this time, women even established themselves as men’s equals when it came to romantic relationships and avoided being grossly submissive to their partners. Women, just like men, would have an equal say in their partnerships, and for some, that meant putting their foot down when it came to assertive pursuers.

Sources

Freedman, E.B. (2003). No turning back: The history of feminism and the future of women. London: Ballentine Books.

Lambert, C. (2001, May 1). French women in politics: The long road to parity. Brookings Institute. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/french-women-in-politics-the-long-ro…

Catalog ID IB0313