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: 1860s

Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. 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 1868. 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 badges.
Obverse: Bust of Ulysses S. Grant facing right. The legend reads: GENERAL U. S. GRANT 1868.
Reverse: Bust of Schuyler Colfax facing left. The legend reads: SCHUYLER COLFAX 1868 (the 1868 is worn down).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1868
depicted
Grant, Ulysses S.
Colfax, Schuyler
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1116
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1116

Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. 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 1868. 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 Ulysses S. Grant facing forward with a legend that reads: GENERAL U. S. GRANT 1868.
Reverse: Bust of Schuyler Colfax facing forward, with a legend that reads: SCHUYLER COLFAX 1868.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1868
depicted
Grant, Ulysses S.
Colfax, Schuyler
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1083
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1083

Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Badge

This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. 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 1868. 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 badges. The tintype picture of Grant is hanging from the beak of an eagle. The eagle has a pin on its back so that it could be worn on an article of clothing.
Obverse: Tintype photograph of Ulysses S. Grant, labeled “GRANT” inside a shield-shaped frame.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Grant, Ulysses S.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1167
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1167

Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. 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 1868. 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 Ulysses Grant facing right. The legend reads: General U.S. Grant.
Reverse: Legend reads: GENERAL U.S. GRANT/REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT 1868.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Grant, Ulysses S.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1252
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1252

Badge, Theodore Roosevelt, 1904

In 1901, just six months into his term as vice president, Theodore Roosevelt became president upon the assassination of President William McKinley. As the Republican candidate, Roosevelt ran for a full term in 1904 and chose Senator Charles W.
Description
In 1901, just six months into his term as vice president, Theodore Roosevelt became president upon the assassination of President William McKinley. As the Republican candidate, Roosevelt ran for a full term in 1904 and chose Senator Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana as his running mate. Roosevelt’s victory over his Democratic challengers Alton Parker and Henry Davis was the first time someone who had ascended to the office upon the death of the president won a term in his own right. Socialist candidates Eugene V. Debs and Benjamin Hanford also ran in 1904, Debs’s second attempt to win the White House.
date made
1904
associated date
1865
associated person
Lincoln, Abraham
ID Number
PL.238841.13
catalog number
238841.13
accession number
238841

"Taking the Stump" or Stephen in Search of His Mother

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1860
associated person
Lincoln, Abraham
associated institution
Currier & Ives
depicted
Buchanan, James
Breckinridge, John C.
ID Number
PL.227739.1860.A15
catalog number
227739.1860.A15

Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Badge

This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. 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 1868. 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 badges.
Obverse: Photograph of Ulysses S. Grant and Schuyler Colfax that is labeled, “GRANT and COLFAX.” The photo is in an ornate silver-colored frame featuring a spread-winged eagle at the top, two unfurling red, white and blue American flags, and a scroll that reads “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Grant, Ulysses S.
Colfax, Schuyler
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1168
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1168

Horatio Seymour Campaign Badge

This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company around 1868. 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 around 1868. 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 badges.
This badge features a tintype photograph set into a bronze frame with blue and lucent insets.
Obverse: Tintype photograph of Horatio Seymour, labeled “SEYMOUR.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Seymour, Horatio
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1177
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1177

Abraham Lincoln Campaign Badge

This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1860. 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 1860. 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 badges. There is a hole in the top of the frame so the badge could be worn.
Obverse: Labeled photograph of Abraham Lincoln. The legend reads: UNION OF THE STATES 1860.
Reverse: Labeled photograph of Hannibal Hamlin. The legend reads: THE CONSTITUTION 1860.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1860
depicted
Lincoln, Abraham
Hamlin, Hannibal
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1113
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1113

Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. 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 1868. 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 badges.
Obverse: Bust of Ulysses S. Grant facing forward, the legend reads: GENERAL U. S. GRANT 1868.
Reverse: Bust of Schuyler Colfax facing forward, the legend reads: SCHUYLER COLFAX 1868.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Grant, Ulysses S.
Colfax, Schuyler
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1070
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1070

Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Medal

This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1865. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1865. 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 medals.
Obverse: Bust of Abraham Lincoln facing right. Legend: ABRAHAM LINCOLN 16 PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES/ ASSASSINATED BY THE PLOTTERS OF TREASON APR. 14 1865.
Reverse: Image of an obelisk with 36 stars emanating from it. Legend: MARTIR FOR LIBERTY. The obelisk’s base reads: A. LINCOLN APR 15 1865. Below are the words: Lewis Joy New York.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1865
depicted
Lincoln, Abraham
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1203
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1203

John A. Bell Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1860. 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 1860. 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 badges.
Obverse: Tintype photograph of John A. Bell. The legend reads: BELL and EVERETT.
Reverse: Tintype photograph of Edward Everett. The rim is ringed with stars and the legend reads: 1860.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1860
depicted
Bell, John
Everett, Edward
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1103
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1103

Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Badge

This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company around 1868. 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 around 1868. 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 badges.
Obverse: Tintype photograph of Ulysses S. Grant, labeled “Grant.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Grant, Ulysses S.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1176
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1176

George B. McClellan Campaign Badge

This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1864. 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 1864. 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 badges.
Obverse: Tintype photograph of George B. McClellan imbedded into a circular brass frame. The tintype is labeled “M’CLELLAN.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1864
depicted
McClellan, George B.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1105
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1105

Horatio Seymour Campaign Medal

This campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868.The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868.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 Horatio Seymour facing left. The legend reads: HORATIO SEYMOUR 1868.
Reverse: Bust of Francis Blair facing right. The legend reads: FRANK P. BLAIR. Jr.1868.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Seymour, Horatio
Blair, Jr., Francis P.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1198
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1198

John Bell Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1860. 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 1860. 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 John A. Bell facing left. The legend reads: FOR PRESIDENT JOHN BELL OF TENNESSEE.
Reverse: Eagle with shield, holding a laurel branch and a bundle of arrows, and a banner in its beak that reads: E PLURIBUS UNUM.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1860
depicted
Bell, John
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1193
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1193

Horatio Seymour Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. 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 1868. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer, and 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 badges.
Obverse: Profile image of Horatio Seymour and Francis P. Blair facing left. Legend reads: SEYMOUR & BLAIR, 1868.
Reverse: Legend reads: GENERAL AMNESTY, UNIFORM CURRENCY, EQUAL TAXES & EQUAL RIGHTS.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Seymour, Horatio
Blair, Jr., Francis P.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1219
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1219

Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Badge

This badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. 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 badges.
This badge features a tintype photograph of Ulysses S. Grant and Schuyler Colfax set into a brass badge. This badge likely would have originally had a pin on the back so it could be worn.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Grant, Ulysses S.
Colfax, Schuyler
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1097
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1097

Horatio Seymour Campaign Badge

This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company around 1868.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 around 1868.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 badges.
Obverse: Tintype photograph of Horatio Seymour, labeled “SEYMOUR.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Seymour, Horatio
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1180
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1180

Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Badge

This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1868. 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 1868. 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 badges.
Obverse: Tintype photograph of Ulysses S. Grant in brass housing, the legend around the rim reads: OUR CHOICE FOR PRESIDENT.
Reverse: Tintype photograph of Schuyler Colfax in brass housing, the legend around the rim reads: FOR VICE PRESIDENT.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Grant, Ulysses S.
Colfax, Schuyler
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1088
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1088

Abraham Lincoln Campaign Badge

This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1860. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1860. 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 badges.
Obverse: Tintype photograph of Abraham Lincoln in metal frame. There is a legend around the rim that reads: ABRAHAM LINCOLN 1860.
Reverse: Tintype photograph of Hannibal Hamlin in metal frame. There is a legend around the rim that reads: HANNIBAL HAMLIN 1860.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1860
depicted
Lincoln, Abraham
Hamlin, Hannibal
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1295
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1295

Abraham Lincoln Campaign Medal

This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1860. 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 1860. 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 badges.
Obverse: Profile image of Abraham Lincoln facing right. Legend reads: HON. ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 1860.
Reverse: Depiction of two men splitting logs with a log cabin in the background. Legend reads: THE RAIL SPLITTER OF THE WEST.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1860
depicted
Lincoln, Abraham
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1074
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1074

Washington and Jefferson Medal

This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut in the 1860s. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut in the 1860s. 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. This medal has a hole in the top so that it could be worn. The medal bears the name “Bolen” referring to J.A. Bolden, a die caster from Springfield, Massachusetts.
Obverse: Bust image of George Washington facing right. Legend reads: Washington.
Reverse: Bust of Thomas Jefferson facing right. Legend reads: Jefferson.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1860
depicted
Washington, George
Jefferson, Thomas
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1121
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1121

Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Badge

This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company around 1868. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer, and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign badge was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company around 1868. 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 badges.
The badge features a tintype photograph of Ulysses S. Grant set into a brass frame, which would have originally been attached to a pin and displayed on clothing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1868
depicted
Grant, Ulysses S.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1069
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1069

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