Black text on a white background. The illustration has peach, red, blue, white and black colors, and features the profile of a balding man wearing a blazer and tie. The man has an exaggerated nose and a large grin with missing teeth.

Rube Goldberg, the cartoonist responsible for these "I'm the Guy" buttons is more famously known for his illustrations of inventions that were funny and complicated. His name is in the Webster dictionary is defined as "accomplishing by complex means what seemingly could be done simply". He was a dedicated cartoonist, doing both political and comical cartoons. Goldberg is also a founding member of the National Cartoonist Society whose Reuben Award is named after his proper name, Rueben.

The popularity of the "I'm the guy..." slogans caught the eye of tobacco marketers. So if you wanted one of these buttons back in the 1910's, you'd have to buy some of their cigarettes. 

There was even an "I'm the guy" song !

Blue text on a white background with "Boyne" text in a different font.

Boyne is a ski resort in Northern Michigan near Boyne City. The resort has an upscale lodge and spa, and uses the world's oldest chair lift.

"Boston American" arches over the top of the button separated by a white border on a red background. The remainder of the text is white on a blue background. There are three white stars in a horizontal line on the bottom.

The Boston American was a newspaper that was published in Boston, Massachusetts from 1904 through 1961. After going through a couple of mergers and name changes, it eventually became known as the Boston Herald.The Buy American Products advertisement refers to a campaign conducted in the 1930's with the help of newspapers supporting legislation mandating that the United States government buy only American products. Additionally, the advertisements encouraged the American consumer to buy American products.

White ring around edge of button with red text inside. White shape in the middle of the button with red text and a small blue illustration of a shoe. Blue background.

This button features the emblem of the Boot and Shoe Workers' Union (BSWU). Shoe unions existed in the United States through the 18th and 19th centuries - 1794 marked the formation of the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers. Cordwainer was the name given to a footman or leatherworker. In 1895 a number of these organizations came together to form the BSWU in Boston, that served as an affiliate to the American Federation of Labor. The BSWU even had an officall magazine at one point entitled The Shoe Journal. The union spread rapidly, having 14 branches in Canada by 1914.

Up until the 1960s the BSWU thrived but foreign made footwear's introduction into the market mixed with and job exportation caused a sharp decline in membership. The BSWU in response merged with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) in 1977. This merger formed the Footwear Division of the Retail Clerks.

At the time this button was produced, the public had great sympathy for organized labor so much so that socialist and labor activist Eugene V. Debs garnered half a million votes for president in 1904 and 1908. At the latter portion of the Progressive Era that saw labor so fondly, Debs was able to get nearly a million votes in the 1912 presidential election.

A lenticular image with black text and a yellow background. There is a black border around the button.

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Two lines of black text sandwich one line of white text over a centered black stripe on a white background. 

The design on this button was originally created by Holoubek Studios in the 1970s. It was a graphic used as an iron on.

Holoubek Studios Inc. is a Wisconsin based apparel company founded by Verne Holoubek in the 1960s. The company pioneered the heat transfer process that created the iron-on t-shirt popular between 60s and 80s. 

An illustration of a fixed gear bicycle with front and back fenders and a rear rack. The background is orange and the illustration and border around the button are outlined in red.

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Illustration of a blue owl on a branch with a yellow circle behind its outstretched wing and a white background.

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A black and white photograph of a man's profile looking to the left. He is wearing a black bow tie and suit jacket, and a white shirt. The background is off white.

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.

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A drawing of the profile of an eyeball showing the nerves behind the eye. The illustration is white and the background is black.

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