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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The word "that" is underlined. The text is blue and the background is yellow.

Isaac Kaufmann Funk founded the American publishing company called Funk & Company in 1875. The company changed its name to Funk & Wagnalls Company in 1877 when Adam Willis Wagnalls became Funk’s partner. The company initially published religious books but shifted to reference materials in 1890 with its first Literary Digest. The company is most well known for A Standard Dictionary of the English Language and the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia. The dictionary was first published in 1894 and continued to have revised editions until 1943. The encyclopedia was first published in 1912, and continued to be published throughout the 1970s. Customers could purchase volumes of the encyclopedias at their local grocery stores. Funk & Wagnalls Company was sold in 1965 to Reader’s Digest.

As a well known publisher of encyclopedias, the phrase, "look it up in your Funk & Wagnalls," referred to someone condescendingly using a large word in conversation that the other person would have to research to learn the meaning by using their encyclopedia.

Illustrations of a boy and a girl on the upper right side and black outlined text on teh left side and bottom on a yellow background. 

The Middy and Westy Fun Klub was a club that was associated with the Midwest Dairy Corporation. The Midwest Dairy Corporation, at its most productive, covered the country from the Great Lakes region all the way to Mexico. In the Monroe Star, May 17, 1950, there was a brief article announcing the purchase of Gold Creameries by the Chicago based Midwest Dairy Corporation. This article also explains that the dairy had farms in 10 states prior to the purchase. Middy and Westy were “the Midwest Quality and Flavor Twins” that not only served as a marketing tool, they also functioned as the representatives of the Fun Klub. Although it is difficult to find information about the Klub itself, two articles were found where Middy and Westy were mentioned. In the Hope Star newspaper on March 22, 1951 Middy and Westy appear to announce a give away of two Schwinn bicycles. The Arkansas based paper explains that one “prize coupon” will be issued for every five Midwest Dairy Corporation bottle caps or carton tabs. The prize coupons all go into a drawing for the Schwinn bikes. Middy and Westy also appear in an article in the Daily Register (Harrisburg, IL) on April 4, 1950 for an Easter egg coloring contest. 

A illustration of a dark green four leaf clover with a lighter green and white center. The clover is surrounded by white, light green, and dark green sections.

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A symbol in the center of the button shows an illustration of a chicken and the company's name and logo on a dark and light red background respectively. The blue text arches over and under the symbol as a border, and there are two red stars on the left and right. The background is white.

Foster Farms started initially in Modesto, California when Max and Verda Foster bought land in 1939. The farm began their farming endeavor by raising turkeys. The business grew throughout the 1950s and continued to have a commitment to raising the highest quality chickens that they could. The company continues to operate on the principal of raising and selling high-quality poultry to this day. In the 1960s the company outgrew their facilities in Modesto and decided to move to Livingston, California where it continues to reside today. An article in the Bakersfield Californian, that ran on February 17, 1971, explained Foster Farm’s new campaign:
Support Your Local Chicken!” The advertising line was created “to make housewives very much aware of the fact that Foster Farms chickens are fresher because they’re delivered to the store daily, in competition with out-of-state chicken which may be several days en route.” (pg. 30) The slogan was intended to be a more creative way of saying that the Foster Farms chickens are “fresh.”

Illustration of a deer's head in the center with black text around it, then two American flags on either side and an eagle above with black text on the top and bottom edges on a white background

Founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 15 August 1889, the Ancient Order of Foresters of America (AOFA) had nearly one hundred and sixteen thousand members six years later.  AOFA broke from the Ancient Order of Foresters, which it claims has its origins in thirteenth century England.  In 1896, the AOFA changed its name to the Foresters of America.  AOFA was one of many fraternal organization between the end of the US Civil War and the end of WWI.  Fraternal organization membership totaled around thirteen percent of the US male population.  

A blue older Ford fire engine illustration seated on top of orange text. The background is white.

Bristol Street Motors is the name of a chain of car dealerships that are located throughout England. They specialize in selling Hyundai's and of course Ford's. Bristol Street Motors was founded over a hundred years ago in Birmingham, which makes them one of England's oldest retailers of motor vehicles.

An illustration of a blue alien with extended antennas that is smiling and looking straight ahead. Text arches above the image with a square shaped symbol on the top left. The smaller text and date are across the bottom of the alien image.

First Security Corporation was a banking holding company that had branches and subsidiaries throughout much of the western United States. The main branches were First Security Bank of Utah, N.A., First Security Bank of Idaho, N.A., First Security Bank of Oregon. The bank specialized in real estate loans for much of its history. In 2000, First Security Corporation was bought off by Wells Fargo, and the company ceased to exist.