The 1896 Election

Political memorabilia has been part of American culture for over two centuries, with one of the earliest examples being metal clothing buttons commemorating the presidential inauguration of George Washington in 1789. In the decades following the election of the nation’s first president, political candidates relied heavily on public speeches, newspaper articles, and pamphlets to make their names and platforms known. The 1824 race between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson saw a new, valuable campaign tool: buttons.

In 1896, a company called Whitehead and Hoag secured the patent for a new button-making process that would allow for the cheap mass production of celluloid buttons, just in time for the election between William McKinley and William J. Bryan. Before this, buttons were typically made out of metal or porcelain. Celluloid buttons consisted of a metal disc covered by a paper design that is sealed in place with a layer of plastic. The low cost of this new method allowed buttons to become one of the most popular campaign materials, and the process is still used today.