Political Novelties

A series of pull cards, soap sculptures, nutcrackers, signs, belt buckles, and other objects created to promote or oppose various U.S. presidential candidates

The Constitution made the presidency and the positions of senator and representative elective offices. By the early 19th century, rivalries among political factions in the new government led to the creation of a competitive party system. The promotion of candidates among an expanding electorate placed increasing importance on the success of popular political campaigns.

The earliest objects in this group commemorate George Washington’s inauguration as the first president in 1789. Washington was the nation’s overwhelming choice, and the popular artifacts associated with his presidency generally celebrated the man and the office. With the realization of an in-and-out party system in the era of Andrew Jackson, advocacy replaced commemoration. Commemorative clothing buttons, sewing boxes, and crockery gave way to expendable campaign advertising novelties such as badges, buttons, and ribbons. These objects are the products of an economy of popular promotion that sought to instill a high level of activism and engagement. By the mid-20th century badges, buttons, and ribbons began to be displaced by investments in radio and television advertising and opinion polling.

Showing 1 to 24 of 188 items — page 1 of 8

Commemorative Clothing Button, George Washington, 1789

Commemorative Clothing Button, George Washington, 1789
Description
Commemorative Clothing Button, George Washington, 1789
associated person
Washington, George
ID Number
1980.0771.03
accession number
1980.0771
catalog number
1980.0771.03

Commemorative Mug, Thomas Jefferson, 1801

This mug was made to celebrate the election of third president Thomas Jefferson. Democratic-Republican Jefferson was elected in 1800 after defeating incumbent Federalist John Adams, for whom Jefferson had just served as Vice President.
Description
This mug was made to celebrate the election of third president Thomas Jefferson. Democratic-Republican Jefferson was elected in 1800 after defeating incumbent Federalist John Adams, for whom Jefferson had just served as Vice President. In 1804 Jefferson won re-election after defeating Federalist Charles Pinckney.
associated person
Jefferson, Thomas
ID Number
PL.227739.1801.I01
accession number
227739
catalog number
227739.1801.I1
227739.1801.I01

Mug, Monroe

associated person
Monroe, James
ID Number
CE.62.1061
accession number
171126
catalog number
62.1061

Mug, Adams Portrait

associated person
Adams, John
ID Number
CE.62.1030A
accession number
171126
catalog number
62.1030A

Flyer, Andrew Jackson, 1828

During the election of 1828, the second contest between fellow Democratic-Republicans John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, anti-Jacksonian groups published broadsides attacking Jackson’s moral character.
Description
During the election of 1828, the second contest between fellow Democratic-Republicans John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, anti-Jacksonian groups published broadsides attacking Jackson’s moral character. The handbills, which came to be known as “coffin handbills” for their macabre imagery. They called into question the execution of militiaman David Morrow for mutiny in 1815 while he was under Jackson’s command, a death Jackson’s detractors saw as unjust. Despite the charge, Jackson won the presidency.
date made
1828
associated person
Jackson, Andrew
ID Number
PL.227739.1828.F4
catalog number
227739.1828.F4
accession number
227739

Sewing Box, John Quincy Adams, 1828

This 1828 campaign sewing box offered women a way to show their support for a candidate, though they couldn’t vote at the time. This box shows incumbent John Quincy Adams, who in 1828 was running as a National Republican.
Description
This 1828 campaign sewing box offered women a way to show their support for a candidate, though they couldn’t vote at the time. This box shows incumbent John Quincy Adams, who in 1828 was running as a National Republican. A similar box was made showing Adam’s opponent, Democrat Andrew Jackson. After a contentious campaign, Jackson won the presidency.
date made
c1828
associated person
Adams, John Quincy
ID Number
PL.227739.1828.X02
catalog number
227739.1828.X02
accession number
227739

Commemorative Snuff Box, Andrew Jackson, 1829

This small snuff box shows Andrew Jackson in his military uniform and celebrates his election in 1828 as the seventh president of the United States when, running as a Democrat, he defeated incumbent president, National Republican John Quincy Adams.
Description
This small snuff box shows Andrew Jackson in his military uniform and celebrates his election in 1828 as the seventh president of the United States when, running as a Democrat, he defeated incumbent president, National Republican John Quincy Adams.
associated person
Jackson, Andrew
ID Number
PL.227739.1829.X01
catalog number
227739.1829.X01
accession number
227739

Commemorative Snuff Box, 1832

This snuff box commemorates the election of 1832, bearing images of some of its key players.
Description
This snuff box commemorates the election of 1832, bearing images of some of its key players. Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren were the Democratic candidates for president and vice-president, respectively, Henry Clay was the Republican nominee for president and Daniel Webster was a key Republican ally of Clay’s. Incumbent Andrew Jackson ultimately won the presidency.
associated person
Van Buren, Martin
Jackson, Andrew
Webster, Daniel
Clay, Henry
ID Number
PL.282464.01
catalog number
282464.01
accession number
282464

Martin Van Buren Campaign Pull Card

depicted (sitter)
Van Buren, Martin
ID Number
PL.315264.3832
accession number
315264
catalog number
315264.3832

Martin Van Buren Campaign Pull Card

associated person
Van Buren, Martin
ID Number
PL.315264.3833
catalog number
315264.3833
accession number
315264

Campaign Pull Card, 1837

In an era of colorful nicknames and slogans, “Locofoco” emerged as a term of derision for Democratic voters, particularly those with more populist-leanings.
Description
In an era of colorful nicknames and slogans, “Locofoco” emerged as a term of derision for Democratic voters, particularly those with more populist-leanings. They were often most prominent in New York state, where radical Democrats often worked in what they considered the interests of ordinary New Yorkers, at a time when New York was by far the biggest and most powerful state in the nation. This card mocks such Locofoco’s defeat by the Republicans in New York in 1856, pulling down the tab at the bottom sours the “Loco’s” expression.
associated date
1837
ID Number
PL.227739.1837.W01
catalog number
227739.1837.W01
accession number
227739

Ribbon, Young Men's National Whig Convention

Date made
1840-05-04
associated person
Harrison, William
associated institution
Whig Party
ID Number
PL.248325
catalog number
248325
accession number
48001

Booklet, "Harrison Melodies", 1840

Nineteenth-century political campaigns made frequent use of songbooks to spread positive images of their candidate and party, or mocking tunes poking fun at opponents.
Description
Nineteenth-century political campaigns made frequent use of songbooks to spread positive images of their candidate and party, or mocking tunes poking fun at opponents. In 1840, William Henry Harrison’s Whig party circulated songsters honoring Harrison’s military experience, western background, and common touch, while mocking his opponent, Martin Van Buren as elite, corrupt, and responsible for the 1837 depression. Many songs included personal, mean-spirited attacks, often deriding Martin Van Buren – who was 5’6” tall and the second shortest president in U.S. history – as “Little Van, the used-up man.”
Date made
1840
associated person
Harrison, William
ID Number
PL.227739.1840.K04
catalog number
227739.1840.K04
accession number
227739

Spoon, 1840

associated person
Harrison, William
ID Number
PL.227739.1840.X01
catalog number
227739.1840.X01
accession number
227739

Campaign Ribbon, William Henry Harrison

The rise of printing and engraving led to the production of ribbons for political campaigns and commemorative events.
Description
The rise of printing and engraving led to the production of ribbons for political campaigns and commemorative events. Simple and straightforward, graphic appeal of the ribbon neatly fit the politics of personal association reflected by all manner of knick-knacks, household items, and specialty merchandise imprinted with a symbol or emblem.
associated person
Adams, John
Jefferson, Thomas
referenced
Harrison, William Henry
ID Number
1978.0590.037
accession number
1978.0590
catalog number
1978.0590.037

Log Cabin Snuff Box

Associated Name
Harrison, William Henry
ID Number
1980.0740.02
accession number
1980.0740
catalog number
1980.0740.02

Booklet, "Clay Minstrel", 1844

Henry Clay was among the most influential politicians in American history, although he none of his four attempts to win the presidency were successful.
Description
Henry Clay was among the most influential politicians in American history, although he none of his four attempts to win the presidency were successful. His vision of an American nation, united by federally-supported infrastructure projects and capable of cooperation across sections – despite tensions over slavery - won him the nickname “The Great Compromiser.” Like Harrison and Jackson, Clay’s supporters emblazoned his face on posters and clay pipes, whiskey glasses (he was a famous drinker) and songbooks. Long after his death, Americans like Abraham Lincoln continued to look back on Clay as the very model of an American statesman. Unfortunately for Clay, a Whig, the Democratic challenger James K. Polk defeated him in 1844.
associated person
Clay, Henry
Frelinghuysen, Theodore
ID Number
PL.227739.1844.E03
catalog number
227739.1844.E03
accession number
227739

Pipe Depicting Henry Clay

Henry Clay was among the most influential politicians in American history, although he never won the office of the presidency, despite four attempts.
Description
Henry Clay was among the most influential politicians in American history, although he never won the office of the presidency, despite four attempts. His vision of an American nation, united by federally-supported infrastructure projects and capable of cooperation across sections, won him the nickname “The Great Compromiser.” Like Harrison and Jackson, Clay’s supporters emblazoned his face on a variety of objects, bringing his political campaign into intimate contact with ordinary Americans. At a time when Americans were widely seen as a constant tobacco smokers and chewers, a Clay pipe provided a fitting image. Unfortunately for Clay, a Whig, the Democratic challenger James K. Polk defeated him in 1844
associated person
Clay, Henry
ID Number
PL.227739.1844.X01
catalog number
227739.1844.X01
accession number
227739

Henry Clay Campaign Cigar Case, 1844

Henry Clay was among the most influential politicians in American history, although he never won the office of the presidency despite four attempts.
Description
Henry Clay was among the most influential politicians in American history, although he never won the office of the presidency despite four attempts. His vision of an American nation, united by federally-supported infrastructure projects and capable of cooperation across sections, won him the nickname “The Great Compromiser.” Like Harrison and Jackson, Clay’s supporters emblazoned his face on posters and clay pipes, whiskey glasses (he was a famous drinker) and cigar cases. Long after his death, Americans like Abraham Lincoln continued to look back on Clay as the very model of an American statesman.
date made
1844
referenced
Clay, Henry
ID Number
PL.279400.01
accession number
279400
catalog number
279400.01

Polk Campaign Ribbon

James K. Polk’s 1844 campaign for president played on themes of youth and freshness. Polk was not a well-known figure, and often went by the title “Young Hickory” – putting himself forward as a new version of his Democratic mention, former president Andrew Jackson.
Description
James K. Polk’s 1844 campaign for president played on themes of youth and freshness. Polk was not a well-known figure, and often went by the title “Young Hickory” – putting himself forward as a new version of his Democratic mention, former president Andrew Jackson. The imagery worked, and Polk won a surprise victory in 1844 over the far better-known Henry Clay.
associated person
Polk, James K.
ID Number
PL.255906.02
catalog number
255906.02
accession number
255906

Millard Fillmore Campaign Ribbon, 1856

Millard Fillmore was vice president under Zachary Taylor, but rose to president after Taylor’s death and served out most of the term as president.
Description
Millard Fillmore was vice president under Zachary Taylor, but rose to president after Taylor’s death and served out most of the term as president. He was not nominated by his party – the Whigs – to run in the 1852 election, at the end of his term as president, but he ran as a third party candidate in the 1856 election that followed. Millard Fillmore and his running mate Andrew Jackson Donelson ranas candidates from the new American party, against Democratic James Buchanan and Republican John C Fremont. Fillmore used anti-sectionalism – as the quote on the ribbon speaks to – as well as pro-slavery and anti-immigrant rhetoric. He came in third place in the 1856 election.
depicted
Fillmore, Millard
referenced
Donelson, Andrew Jackson
ID Number
PL.227739.1856.J05
catalog number
227739.1856.J05
accession number
227739

Booklet, "The Republican Campaign Songster", 1856

This campaign songster would have provided entertainment and information for Republican supporters of John C. Fremont, marching at events across America in 1856. John C Frémont made an easy figure to campaign for in 1856.
Description
This campaign songster would have provided entertainment and information for Republican supporters of John C. Fremont, marching at events across America in 1856. John C Frémont made an easy figure to campaign for in 1856. His exciting background as an explorer of the American west, his romantic stature as a young, relatively novice politician, and his name, which contained the word “Free” and rhymed easily, all leant himself to campaign songs and slogans. Nonetheless, Fremont lost to Democrat James Buchanan, although he did far better than American party candidate Millard Fillmore
associated institution
Republican National Party
ID Number
PL.227739.1856.K15
catalog number
227739.1856.K15

Campaign Pull Card, 1856

In 1856 a bold new movement, the Republican Party, ran its first candidate for President: John C. Frémont. Frémont just 43 years old, but had built an impressive reputation as an explorer, adventurer, soldier, and author.
Description
In 1856 a bold new movement, the Republican Party, ran its first candidate for President: John C. Frémont. Frémont just 43 years old, but had built an impressive reputation as an explorer, adventurer, soldier, and author. With the help of his brilliant, politically astute wife Jesse Benton Fremont, he launched a campaign that excited members of the new Republican Party. This card mocks “Fremonters” who went from exultation to despair after his defeat by Democrat James Buchanan.
ID Number
PL.227739.1856.W02
catalog number
227739.1856.W02
accession number
227739

Buchanan Campaign Ribbon

This colorful ribbon endorses James Buchanan in his successful 1856 presidential bid.
Description
This colorful ribbon endorses James Buchanan in his successful 1856 presidential bid. Because of his decades of service at nearly every level of government, Buchanan was seen as a reliable choice for the Democratic party in the mid-1850s, a time of growing sectional conflict over slavery and the emergence of the radical new Republican and American parties. He was not, however, a particularly exciting figure, and so the colorful ribbon and use of the rooster may have been an effort to add a bit of energy to his dry image. Nonetheless, Buchanan defeated both the Republican candidate John C Fremont and the American Party candidate Millard Fillmore.
date made
ca1856
associated person
Buchanan, James
ID Number
1979.0950.01
accession number
1979.0950
catalog number
1979.0950.01

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