Badge promoting Theodore Roosevelt for president and Charles Fairbanks for vice president, 1904. Gilt die-cast metal. J. L. Bieder, Chicago.Formed in the shape of pince-nez eyeglasses, with raised portrait of Roosevelt and inscription, ROOSEVELT, in left lens; raised portrait of Fairbanks and inscription, FAIRBANKS, in right lens; the date 1904 on the bridge. Rev. Clasp.
Roosevelt couldn't recognize his own children without eyeglasses, he was so near-sighted. This could have been a liability to a politician, but he managed to turn it into an asset, and his characteristic pince-nez specs became a sort of personal calling card. Makers of campaign novelties were quick to recognize the potential for whimsical items such as these, and produced an array of ophthalmologically-themed badges and trinkets. Here's a classic example.
