Government, Politics, and Reform

March on Washington Handbill

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln are all represented in the Museum's collections—by a surveying compass, a lap desk, and a top hat, among other artifacts. But the roughly 100,000 objects in this collection reach beyond the possessions of statesmen to touch the broader political life of the nation—in election campaigns, the women's suffrage movement, labor activity, civil rights, and many other areas. Campaign objects make up much of the collection, including posters, novelties, ballots, voting machines, and many others. A second group includes general political history artifacts, such as first ladies' clothing and accessories, diplomatic materials, ceremonial objects, national symbols, and paintings and sculptures of political figures. The third main area focuses on artifacts related to political reform movements, from labor unions to antiwar groups.

Date: 1840s

Henry Clay Button

This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1845. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1845. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Profile image of Henry Clay facing left. The legend reads: HENRY CLAY 1845.
Reverse: Illegible manufacturer’s stamp.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1845
depicted
Clay, Henry
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1201
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1201

I am for a Constitution and Equal Rights

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1841-05-05
Associated Date
1841-05-05
relevant
Dorr, Thomas Wilson
distributor
Rhode Island Suffrage Association
maker
Rhode Island Suffrage Association
ID Number
2017.0347.02
accession number
2017.0347
catalog number
2017.0347.02

William Harrison and Henry Clay Medal

This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1840. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1840. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of William Henry Harrison facing right. The legend reads: HONOR WHERE HONOR'S DUE TO THE HERO OF TIPPECANOE/ GEN WILLIAM H. HARRISON.
Reverse: Bust of Henry Clay facing left. The legend reads: HENRY CLAY/ THE FARMER OF ASHLAND/ BORN APRIL 12 1777.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840
depicted
Harrison, William Henry
Clay, Henry
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1239
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1239

Newspaper, "The Log Cabin", 1840

The expansion of white male suffrage in the 1830s led to an expansive strategy of political imagery that co-opted hatchets, axes, and log cabins as empathetic symbols that could be understood by anyone.
Description
The expansion of white male suffrage in the 1830s led to an expansive strategy of political imagery that co-opted hatchets, axes, and log cabins as empathetic symbols that could be understood by anyone. The exclusive use of such symbols masked the difficult and contentious positions of rival candidates and partisans who, with a wink and a nod, universally embraced the rough-hewn values of the American frontier.
The Whig campaign of 1840 against incumbent President Martin Van Buren established a pattern of predetermined imagery, from which later campaigns have seldom deviated. The Whigs adopted the symbols of the log cabin and hard cider to promote the candidacy of General William Henry Harrison. An outpouring of objects with designs of log cabins, such as this newspaper from July 18, 1840, soon followed.
Date made
1840
associated person
Greeley, Horace
ID Number
PL.227739.1840.A11
catalog number
227739.1840.A11
accession number
227739

Martin Van Buren Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1840. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1840. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of Martin Van Buren facing right with six stars along the bottom. The legend reads: MARTIN VAN BUREN & DEMOCRACY.
Reverse: Legend reads: OUR NEXT PRESIDENT.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840
depicted
Van Buren, Martin
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1155
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1155

Sheet music, "The Hard Cider Quick Step"

The Whig campaign of 1840 against incumbent President Martin Van Buren established a pattern of predetermined imagery, from which later campaigns have seldom deviated.
Description
The Whig campaign of 1840 against incumbent President Martin Van Buren established a pattern of predetermined imagery, from which later campaigns have seldom deviated. The Whigs adopted the symbols of the log cabin and hard cider to promote the candidacy of General William Henry Harrison. An outpouring of objects with designs of log cabins, such as this sheet music for “The Hard Cider Quick Step” from 1840, soon followed.
Date made
1840
associated date
1840 05 04
associated institution
Whig Party
ID Number
PL.227739.1840.E16
catalog number
227739.1840.E16
accession number
227739

"What Hath God Wrought" Telegraph Message

Telegraph message, printed in Morse code, transcribed and signed by Samuel F. B. Morse.
Description
Telegraph message, printed in Morse code, transcribed and signed by Samuel F. B. Morse. This message was transmitted from Baltimore, Maryland, to Washington, D.C., over the nation's first long-distance telegraph line.
In 1843, Congress allocated $30,000 for Morse (1791-1872) to build an electric telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore. Morse and his partner, Alfred Vail (1807-1859), completed the forty-mile line in May 1844. For the first transmissions, they used a quotation from the Bible, Numbers 23:23: "What hath God wrought," suggested by Annie G. Ellsworth (1826-1900), daughter of Patent Commissioner Henry L. Ellsworth (1791-1858) who was present at the event on 24 May. Morse, in the Capitol, sent the message to Vail at the B&O Railroad's Pratt Street Station in Baltimore. Vail then sent a return message confirming the message he had received.
The original message transmitted by Morse from Washington to Baltimore, dated 24 May 1844, is in the collections of the Library of Congress. The original confirmation message from Vail to Morse is in the collections of the Connecticut Historical Society.
This tape, dated 25 May, is a personal souvenir transmitted by Vail in Baltimore to Morse in Washington the day following the inaugural transmissions. The handwriting on the tape is that of Morse himself. Found in Morse’s papers after his death the tape was donated to the Smithsonian in 1900 by his son Edward, where it has been displayed in many exhibitions.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1844-05-25
1844-05-24
associated date
1844-05-24
donated
1900-04-18
associated person
Morse, Samuel Finley Breese
maker
Morse, Samuel Finley Breese
ID Number
EM.001028
catalog number
001028
accession number
65555

William Henry Harrison Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1840. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1840. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of William Henry Harrison facing left. The legend reads: MAJ. GENl W. HARRISON BORN FEB. 9. 1773.
Reverse: Image of a log cabin, with a legend: THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE IN THE YEAR 1840.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840
depicted
Harrison, William Henry
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1195
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1195

Declaration of Sentiments Table, 1848

Table on which Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the Declaration of Sentiments.In July, 1848, several days before the first woman’s rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York, a group of five women that included Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott drafted a declaration of righ
Description
Table on which Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the Declaration of Sentiments.
In July, 1848, several days before the first woman’s rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York, a group of five women that included Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott drafted a declaration of rights for women on this table as a statement of purpose for the convention. Now known as the Declaration of Sentiments, the document was based on the Declaration of Independence. It proclaimed that “all men and women are created equal” and resolved that women would take action to claim the rights of citizenship denied to them by men. The Declaration of Sentiments was adopted officially at the Seneca Falls Convention in July 1848 and signed by sixty-eight women and thirty-two men. The convention and Declaration mark the start of the formal women’s rights movement in the United States.
date made
by 1848
associated date
1848
associated person
Anthony, Susan B.
ID Number
PL.026160
catalog number
26160
accession number
64601

Letter, 1840

The Whig campaign of 1840 against incumbent President Martin Van Buren established a pattern of predetermined imagery, from which later campaigns have seldom deviated.
Description
The Whig campaign of 1840 against incumbent President Martin Van Buren established a pattern of predetermined imagery, from which later campaigns have seldom deviated. The Whigs adopted the symbols of the log cabin and hard cider to promote the candidacy of General William Henry Harrison. An outpouring of objects with designs of log cabins, such as log cabin letterhead from 1840, soon followed.
associated date
1840 06 27
associated person
Harrison, William
ID Number
PL.227739.1840.S01
catalog number
227739.1840.S01
accession number
227739

Right to Petition Cane

Julius Pratt and Company presented John Quincy Adams with this ivory cane made from a single elephant tusk in recognition of his leadership against the Gag Rule. The cane was decorated with a gold-inlaid eagle holding a petition.
Description
Julius Pratt and Company presented John Quincy Adams with this ivory cane made from a single elephant tusk in recognition of his leadership against the Gag Rule. The cane was decorated with a gold-inlaid eagle holding a petition. On the band below the knob is inscribed “justum et tenacem propositi virum” (a man just and firm of purpose). When the rule was defeated on December 3, 1844, the date was added to the eagle’s wings.
Date made
1844
associated person
Powell, Jay
Adams, John Quincy
ID Number
PL.016155
catalog number
16155
accession number
13152

Zachary Taylor Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1848. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1848. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of Zachary Taylor facing left. The legend reads: MAJ. GEN ZACH: TAYLOR.
Reverse: Legend reads: FORT HARRISON/OKEE-CHO-BEE/PALO ALTO/RESACA DE LA PALMA/MONTEREY/BUENA VISTA.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1848
depicted
Taylor, Zachary
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1227
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1227

The Log Cabin Song Book, 1840

The Whig campaign of 1840 against incumbent President Martin Van Buren established a pattern of predetermined imagery, from which later campaigns have seldom deviated.
Description
The Whig campaign of 1840 against incumbent President Martin Van Buren established a pattern of predetermined imagery, from which later campaigns have seldom deviated. The Whigs adopted the symbols of the log cabin and hard cider to promote the candidacy of General William Henry Harrison. An outpouring of objects with designs of log cabins, such as this song book from the 1840 campaign, soon followed.
Date made
1840
associated person
Harrison, William
Tyler, John
ID Number
PL.227739.1840.E17
catalog number
227739.1840.E17
accession number
227739

Free Suffrage Cane, 1820

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
circa. 1820-1840
referenced
Jackson, Andrew
ID Number
2008.0196.01
catalog number
2008.0196.01
accession number
2008.0196

I am an American Citizen

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1841-04-17
used date
1841-04-17
associated
Dorr, Thomas Wilson
Rhode Island Suffrage Association
ID Number
2017.0347.01
accession number
2017.0347
catalog number
2017.0347.01

"The Storming of Chapultepec"

This print depicts American forces attacking the fortress palace of Chapultepec on Sept. 13th, 1847. General Winfield Scott, on a white horse (lower left), led the southern division of the U.S. Army that successfully captured Mexico City during the Mexican American War.
Description
This print depicts American forces attacking the fortress palace of Chapultepec on Sept. 13th, 1847. General Winfield Scott, on a white horse (lower left), led the southern division of the U.S. Army that successfully captured Mexico City during the Mexican American War. The outcome of American victory was the loss of Mexico's northern territories, from California to New Mexico, by the terms set in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. It should be noted that the two countries ratified different versions of the same peace treaty, with the United States ultimately eliminating provisions for honoring the land titles of its newly absorbed Mexican citizens. Despite notable opposition to the war from Americans like Abraham Lincoln, John Quincy Adams, and Henry David Thoreau, the Mexican-American War proved hugely popular. The United States' victory boosted American patriotism and the country's belief in Manifest Destiny.
This large chromolithograph was first distributed in 1848 by Nathaniel Currier of Currier and Ives, who served as the "sole agent." The lithographers, Sarony & Major of New York (1846-1857) copied it from a painting by "Walker." While the current location of that painting is unknown, when the print was created, the painting was owned by Captain B. S. Roberts of the Mounted Rifles, as indicated by an inscription below the image.
The original artist has previously been incorrectly attributed to William Aiken Walker as well as Henry A. Walke, as both worked at various times with Currier. The artist of the original painting however is James Walker (1819-1889), who created the "Battle of Chapultepec" 1857-1862 for the U.S. Capitol. This image differs from the painting commissioned for the U. S. Capitol by depicting the troops in regimented battle lines with General Scott in a more prominent position in the foreground. Variant copies of the image from different viewpoints were painted by Walker. James Walker was living in Mexico City at the outbreak of the Mexican War and joined the American forces as an interpreter. Attached to General Worth's staff, he was present at the battles of Contreras, Churubusco, and at Chapultepec was tasked as the artist. Captain Benjamin Stone Roberts, an engineer, was assigned by General Winfield Scott to assist Walker with recreating the details of the battle of Chapultepec. Roberts is depicted in the painting as leading the storming. When the painting was complete, Roberts purchased a copy of the painting for $250.00 (documented in letters and a diary). Captain George T. M. Davis, aide-de-camp to Generals Quitman and Shields also purchased a copy of the painting by Walker, in Mexico City, which was publicized in newspapers and made into a print. By 1848, James Walker had returned to a New York City studio in the same neighborhood as the print's distributor Nathaniel Currier and lithographers Napoleon Sarony and Henry B. Major.
This popular lithograph was one of several published to visually document the war while engaging the imagination of the public. Created prior to photography, these prints were meant to inform the public, while generally eliminating the portrayal of more gory details. Historians have been able to use at least some prints of the Mexican War for study and corroborate with the traditional literary forms of documentation. As an eyewitness, both Walke and Walker could claim accuracy of detail within the narrative. The battle is presented in the grand, historic, heroic style with the brutality of war not portrayed. The print depiction is quite large for a chromo of the period. In creating the chromolithographic interpretation of the painting, Sarony & Major used at least four large stones to produce the print "in colours," making the most of their use of color. They also defined each figure with precision by outlining each in black. This print was considered by expert/collector Harry T. Peters as one of the finest ever produced by Sarony & Major.
Description (Spanish)
Este grabado ilustra a las fuerzas americanas atacando la fortaleza del palacio de Chapultepec el 13 de septiembre de 1847. El General Winfield Scott, representado en la esquina inferior izquierda montando un caballo blanco, condujo la división sureña del ejército estadounidense que tomó con éxito la ciudad de México durante la guerra mexicoamericana. El resultado de la victoria americana se tradujo en la pérdida para México de los territorios al norte del país, desde California hasta Nuevo México. Estos términos quedaron establecidos en el tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo. Debe observarse que las dos naciones ratificaron diferentes versiones del mismo tratado de paz, con los Estados Unidos eliminando en última instancia cláusulas que reconocían títulos territoriales a los ciudadanos mexicanos recientemente asimilados. A pesar de la notable oposición de los americanos a la guerra, como Abraham Lincoln, John Quincy Adams y Henry David Thoreau, la Guerra Mexicoamericana evidenció ser considerablemente popular. La victoria de los Estados Unidos reforzó el patriotismo americano y la fe del país en el Destino Manifiesto.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1848
associated date
1847-09-13
distributor
Currier, Nathaniel
depicted
Scott, Winfield
lithographer
Sarony & Major
artist
Walker, James
ID Number
DL.60.2602
catalog number
60.2602
accession number
228146

"Guerrilleros Mexicanos"

This lithograph illustrates the chaos and conflict engulfing northern Mexico during the years of the Mexican-American War from 1846-1848.
Description
This lithograph illustrates the chaos and conflict engulfing northern Mexico during the years of the Mexican-American War from 1846-1848. In these years the United States organized an Army of Occupation, initially led by General Zachary Taylor, to capture cities like Monterrey in preparation for a later assault on the Mexican heartland. The figure on horseback is a Mexican guerilla fighter. These skilled horsemen, often doubling as both patriots and bandits, had an established role in Mexican military tradition, and were actively recruited to combat the U.S. invaders. To understand his limited appeal to the Mexican public, note that the dead figures over whom the guerrillero is triumphantly galloping appear to be Mexican citizens, not invading American soldiers.
The lithographer is unknown.
Description (Spanish)
Esta litografía ilustra el caos y el conflicto que abrumaron al norte de México durante los años de la guerra mexicoamericana entre 1846 y 1848. En este período Estados Unidos organizó un Ejército de Ocupación, inicialmente comandado por el General Zachary Taylor, a fin de capturar ciudades como Monterrey, en preparación para la posterior ofensa al corazón de México. La figura a caballo es la de un guerrillero mexicano. Estos hábiles jinetes, que a menudo actuaban tanto de patriotas como de bandidos, tenían una función establecida dentro de la tradición militar mexicana y se los reclutaba activamente para combatir a los invasores estadounidenses. A fin de comprender el poco atractivo que estas figuras despertaban entre el público mexicano, obsérvese que los muertos sobre los que galopa triunfante el guerrillero parecen ser ciudadanos mexicanos y no soldados americanos invasores.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1848
maker
unknown
ID Number
DL.60.2559
catalog number
60.2559
accession number
228146

William Henry Harrison Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1841. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1841. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of William Henry Harrison facing left. The legend reads: MAJ. GENl W. HARRISON BORN FEB. 9. 1773.
Reverse: Image of a log cabin, with a legend that reads: THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE IN THE YEAR 1841.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1841
depicted
Harrison, William Henry
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1228
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1228

William Henry Harrison Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1840. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1840. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill is an important example of early American industrial manufacturing that adapted armory machines to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of William Henry Harrison facing right. The legend reads: WILLIAM H. HARRISON,THE HERO & STATESMAN.
Reverse: Image of a log cabin set into the woods with smoke rising from the chimney. Legend reads: CANDIDATE OF THE PEOPLE.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840
depicted
Harrison, William Henry
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1221
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1221

Zachary Taylor Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1847. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1847. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of Zachary Taylor facing forward. Legend reads: MAJOR ZACHARY TAYLOR/ HERO OF PALO ALTO, RESACA DE LA PALMA, MONTEREY AND BUENA VISTA. 1847.
Reverse: Eagle with shield carrying an olive branch and three arrows. Legend reads: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1847.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1847
depicted
Taylor, Zachary
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1215
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1215

William Henry Harrison Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1840. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1840. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of William Henry Harrison facing left. The legend reads: MAJ. GENl W. HARRISON BORN FEB. 9. 1773.
Reverse: Image of a log cabin, with a legend that reads: THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE IN THE YEAR 1840.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840
depicted
Harrison, William Henry
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1154
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1154

Abraham Lincoln's Patent Model

Like many people of his era, Lincoln believed deeply in the value of personal initiative, inventiveness, and scientific and technological change.
Description
Like many people of his era, Lincoln believed deeply in the value of personal initiative, inventiveness, and scientific and technological change. Lincoln’s mechanical and scientific interests began with his training as a surveyor in New Salem and continued throughout his life.
In 1848 he decided try his own hand at developing an invention to lift boats grounded in shallow water. On May 22, 1849, Congressman Abraham Lincoln received a patent for his method of lifting boats over shoals. A trip to Niagara Falls inspired the design, when he witnessed a grounded boat being lifted over shallow waters. Lincoln produced the model with the help of Walter Davis, a Springfield mechanic. There is no evidence that he ever sought to put the idea into production.
Transfer from the U.S. Patent Office, 1922
Location
Currently not on view
date made
prior to 1849
date patented
1849-05-22
patentee
Lincoln, Abraham
maker
Lincoln, Abraham
ID Number
PL.031940
catalog number
31940
accession number
48865
patent number
6469

Henry Clay Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1845. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1845. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of Henry Clay facing left. The legend reads: HARRY OF THE WEST/ 1845.
Reverse: Wreath around the rim. Center legend reads: THE PROTECTOR OF HOME INDUSTRY.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1845
depicted
Clay, Henry
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1224
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1224

Tyler Campaign Ribbon

John Tyler was never elected president, rather he rose to the office when president William Henry Harrison died after just 31 days in office.
Description
John Tyler was never elected president, rather he rose to the office when president William Henry Harrison died after just 31 days in office. Whereas Harrison had been popularly elected by a groundswell – drawing 80% of eligible voters to the polls – John Tyler repudiated much of the Whig party’s platform but also ostracized the opposing Democrats. Tyler was generally unpopular during his time in office, and went on to become the only former president to side with the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1843
associated person
Tyler, John
ID Number
1978.0590.035
accession number
1978.0590
catalog number
1978.0590.035

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.