Posted by Victor on 11/17/2023 to
News
This month we feature items from a 20 year period that was arguably the golden age of political Americana: 1896 to 1916. Politics underwent radical transformation, from the relatively closed system of electing leaders of the 19th century, to the more open and democratic 20th century. Campaigns became more professional and produced a wider array of material culture. The new celluloid button, patented in 1894, was an instant success and would become correlative with political expression. Wearing a button was to join the body politic, and formed a tangible link to the candidate whose name or likeness appeared on it. And from the beginning, there were collectors.
Twenty auctions on eBay will end Monday night.