M-322: Dr. Allen B. and Helen S. Shopmaker American Political Collection

The Shopmaker Collection contains over three thousand items ranging from a George Washington token dated 1789 to buttons and textiles endorsing candidates in the 2008 election. The variety of objects reflects the changing tastes of the American public and the available production technologies, ranging from 19th century brass jewelry and clothing buttons embossed with candidate's names and party symbols to today's modern, mass-produced buttons, and from porcelain plates embellished with a portrait of First Lady Helen Taft to Nancy Reagan paper dolls. With artifacts representing nearly every American election, the Shopmaker Collection provides the viewer with a broad look at how candidates have used images, slogans and symbols to woo the public, and how the public has expressed its own, often outspoken, opinions on both individuals and issues.
St. Louis Mercantile Library Art Museum

Pages

"A Clean Sweep" Button
Button with an image of a rooster with a broom. Surrounding the rooster, text reads "A CLEAN SWEEP". The rooster references the former symbol of the Democratic Party.
"A Full Dinner Bucket" Button
1 and 1/4-inch round pin back button with image of a white metal dinner bucket over a blue background. Text on a cup on the top of the bucket reads "EMPLOYMENT FOR LABOR". Text on the lid of the bucket reads "A FULL DINNER BUCKET". Across the front of the bucket is a gold oval containing black and white portraits of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Text on the handle reads "PROSPERITY". Text on the bottom of the bucket reads "Sound Money - Good Markets". Button has paper label on reverse for Allied Printing Trades Council of Newark and The Whitehead & Hoag Co.
"Ford or Carter" Brochure
White paper brochure. The front is red with white text reading "Ford or Carter". Inside is a black and white picture of Ford. The next two pages contain red text with black headlines praising Ford and providing negative statements about Carter. The back reads "How do you choose?" and "Ford, He's making us proud again." This brochure was produced by "The President Ford Committee".
"Forward with Eisenhower-Nixon" Comic Book
10 1/4 inches by 6 1/2 inches red and tan comic book with fourteen pages. The cover has black and red writing with artwork. At the top is black letters spelling "FORWARD WITH EISENHOWER-NIXON". Beneath the top writing are drawn portraits of four different people: one in a suit, one in work clothes, a woman, and a farmer. There is a yellow bar with writing in the lower part of the cover with "Let's Continue" in black and "PEACE... PROSPERITY… PROGRESS" in red. The inside pages use the story of four relatives of a journalist looking to write about the election to highlight why voters should re-elect Eisenhower and vote Republican in the 1956 election. The last two pages feature short biographies of both Eisenhower and Nixon. The back page has another drawn portrait of Eisenhower. The writing on the back is a call to vote for both Eisenhower and a straight Republican ticket. At the bottom of the back page are black letters crediting the distributors of the comic book. Union imprint lower right corner of back page.
"Happy Days are Here Again" Shot Glass
Shot glass featuring a silhouette image of a donkey and the words "Happy Days Are Here."
"I Like Ike" Tie
Grey necktie with the words “I Like Ike” written in blue surrounded by a cluster of 5 stars. These motifs are repeated throughout the tie.
"Is Anyone Listening? Does Anyone Give A Damn?" Brochure
8 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches White brochure with black and white writing. The cover is a photo of three people, two men and one woman, looking up and to the right. There are white letters spelling "IS ANYONE LISTENING? DOES ANYONE GIVE A DAMN?" The brochure has seven pages which provide details on President Richard Nixon's accomplishments or goals with regard to the youth vote. The categories of the brochure are "National Priorities", "The War", "Foreign Policy", "The Draft", "Environmental Quality", "18 Year Old Vote", "Drugs", and "Volunteerism". The back page of the brochure ends with a quote from Richard Nixon.
"Our Choice, Harding and Coolidge" Framed Decal
Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge Campaign window decal (10.5"x7") framed in ornate, oval, gold-tone wood frame.
"Our County is a Key to a Nixon Victory" Door Hanger
White paper door hanger in the shape of a key. In blue print "Our county is a KEY to a" is written and "Nixon Victory" is printed in red. At the bottom of the key there is information about polling places and assistance to get to them printed in red. This hanger was printed by "The California Committee for the Re-election of the President".
"President Nixon. Now More than Ever" Door-Hanger
Paper door-hanger for President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign. Text at the top reads "Your Nixon Neighborhood Volunteer called." Below is a blue circle containing blue and red text reading "President Nixon. Now more than ever." Below is information about getting in touch with the local campaign, with a blank space at the bottom for the volunteer to fill in their address.
"Prouder, Stronger, Better" Door Hanger
White paper door hanger with American flag motif covering the top half. Text within the flag's stripes reads "Prouder, Stronger, Better". Below is decorative text reading "VOTE Tuesday, November 6. Below is a table containing text reading "For President & Vice President Ronald Reagan George Bush", with cells below reading "For Congress", "For State Senate", and "For State Assembly". Each cell has a box to the right containing a large "X". At the bottom is red and blue text reading "Yes on 39 Fairness Not Politics", above an empty box labeled "Your Polling Place". Small text at the bottom reads "California Republican Party".
"Queremos Al Presidente Johnson" Brochure
White paper brochure. The front has a black and white photograph of then-presidential candidate Lyndon B. Johnson over a red background. Above is white text reading "Queremos al Presidente Johnson" and below is black text reading "Porque Queremos la Paz y el Progreso Porque Queremos ir Adelante y no Atras". The text translates to read "We Want President Johnson Because We Want Peace and Progress Because We Want to go Forward and not Back". Inside are photos of Johnson and vice presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey with text in Spanish supporting Johnson's campaign. This brochure was made by the "All Americans Council".
"Souvenir Folder of McKinley's Birthplace, Niles, Ohio." Postcards
Envelope containing a collection of nine doublesided full-color postcards that fold out accordian style. The front of the envelope has text in black and red that reads "SOUVENIR FOLDER of McKINLEY'S BIRTHPLACE NILES, OHIO." The front of the envelope features a portrait of William McKinley along with a picture of a statue of McKinley. Subjects include monuments and buildings named for McKinley, and buildings and business in Niles, Ohio. The location pictured is identified in a label below the image.
"Straight From The Shoulder" Journal
10 15/16 inches by 8 3/8 inches tan journal with black and red writing. The top of the cover has red and black letters spelling "Straight from the shoulder A Journal of Political Fact VOLUME 3 NOVEMBER, 1956 NUMBER 9". This was made and distributed by the Republican National Committee as a series in the lead up to the 1956 election. There are fifteen pages in the journal with a back cover page. The content is either in support of the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign or against the Democrats or specifically the Stevenson-Kejauver campaign. There is use of their media coverage in quotes or political cartoons in addition to the writings from the Republican National Committee.
"The Great Society" Comic Book
10 inches by 7 inches comic book with the title "THE GREAT SOCIETY COMIC BOOK". The cover has a caricature of Lyndon B. Johnson as a superhero named "SuperLBJ". The comic book was made by Parallax Comic Books and Pocket Books. It was written by D.J. Arneson and illustrated by Tony Tallarico. The comic book has Lyndon B. Johnson, members of his cabinet and famous political figures in a superhero story as fictional heroes or villains. The heroes are a part of the GREAT Society "The Group Resigned to End All Threats". The story is about a missing SuperLBJ and members of the GREAT Society must find him on their own adventures. However, they all fail while SuperLBJ breaks free from being captive and rescues all the other heroes and beats all the villains.
"The Logical Choice" Leaflet
10 7/8 inches by 8 1/2 inches white leaflet with blue and red writing. There are blue and red letters at the top of the front cover spelling "THE LOGICAL CHOICE". In blue there is a picture of Stuart Symington in front of campaign supporters holding signs reading "SYMINGTON FOR PRESIDENT". Above the image and below the top writing is a red sphere in gridlines with an image of the United States with red and white cones pointing out in four directions, making it look like a compass rose. At the end of each cone are blue letters spelling "WEST", "NORTH", "EAST", "SOUTH". The pages inside the leaflet provide details of Symington, about his accomplishments and priorities. The back cover has blue and red letters at the top spelling "THE NOMINEE AND... NEXT PRESIDENT". There is a blue photograph of Stuart Symington and his family. At the bottom there are blue letters spelling "Symington for President Committee, 921 17th Street N.W., Washington 6, D.C. Congressman Charles H. Brown, Chrm". Union imprint on the bottom left corner of back cover.
"The New Deal" Franklin D. Roosevelt Mug
Ochre-colored barrel mug featuring a profile picture of Franklin D. Roosevelt in a shield. The text reads “The New Deal."
"To Men and Women Who Have Served" Leaflet
9 5/16 inches by 3 13/16 inches white leaflet with black writing. At the top of the front page there are black letters spelling “TO MEN and WOMEN WHO HAVE SERVED". In the middle of the front page there is a photo of Alf Landon. Alongside the right hand side of both the front and back there are black stars. Beginning on the front and continuing onto the back, Alf Landon discusses the character of soldiers in times of war representing the best of America but also the need to carry that into times of peace as well. At the bottom of the back page there are black letters spelling "REPUBLICAN SERVICE LEAGUE 920 McCormick Bldg., Chicago". Union imprint on the bottom left of the back page.
"Vote Democratic" Bookmark
White bookmark reading "Vote" in blue text and "Democratic" in vertical red text. Along the right and left sides are red and blue stripes split by three red stars. A blue outlined star is at the bottom below the letter "C".
"Wallace" Straw Hat
Adult size boater, a traditional straw hat with a flat brim and ribbon band, with a red, white and blue striped band and a striped pin with the word “Wallace” at the front of the hat.
"What it means to you to elect Wendell Willkie" Leaflet
9 inches by 5 15/16 inches white leaflet with black writing. At the top there are black letters spelling "What it means TO YOU". In the middle of the leaflet there is an image of Wendell Willkie inside of a shield and over a grey bar going across the cover. A union imprint is beneath the image. At the bottom there are black letters spelling "To Elect Wendell Willkie". The two inside pages feature Willkie's position on seven issues in his own words "Peace and War", "Defense", "Conscription", "Labor", "Relief", "Business", and "Farm Aid". The start of the first inside page is a message from the Willkie Club. The back page has a biography of Wendell Willkie and a call to help by registering to vote, getting others to register and joining or organizing local Willkie Clubs.
"Who Would Make The Best President For You?" Booklet
8 3/4 inches by 4 inches tan brochure with blue letters spelling "WHO WOULD MAKE THE BEST PRESIDENT FOR YOU?" on the front cover. Below the writing is a red arrow pointing to the right with white letters spelling "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS". The first four pages follow the formula of asking a 'who' question with pictures and names listed of Richard Nixon, George Wallace, and Hubert Humphrey. The questions are masked accomplishments of Humphrey's. Nixon and Wallace are crossed out with red letters spelling "Not him" while Humphrey is circled with red letters spelling "It was Humphrey". The fifth and sixth pages discuss recessions and follow a similar formula. The back cover has a list of programs Humphrey proposed or sponsored. Below the list is a picture of Humphrey with red letters spelling "It was Humphrey". Towards the bottom are blue letters spelling "VOTE HUMPHREY-MUSKIE". At the bottom is blue letters spelling "Authorized and paid for by Wisconsin Humphrey-Muskie Committee" along with the committee members' names. Allied Printing Trades Council union imprint bottom right corner of back cover.
"Young Voters for the President" Poster
11 inches by 8 1/2 inches white and brown brochure for Richard Nixon's reelection campaign. The cover of the brochure has an image of Richard Nixon and the words in white, "young voters FOR THE PRESIDENT". The "young" and "voters" cross each other and use the same "o". When opened, there is a photograph of Richard Nixon meeting young supporters across both pages. Underneath the photograph is a quote detailing how that for 18-21 year olds they are first time eligible voters and claims they support Richard Nixon. When unfolded the first time there is a section devoted to the accomplishments of Richard Nixon's first term with respect to issues important to the youth vote. Along both sides are photographs of Richard Nixon. When completely unfolded, there is a poster of Richard Nixon.
"democracy: some assembly required" Bumper Sticker
3 3/4 inches by 11 inches unused white vinyl bumper sticker with blue and red writing. There are blue and red letters spelling "democracy: some assembly required". The "democracy" part is the only blue and has white starts inside the letters. At the bottom there are blue letters spelling "www.DemocracyCaravan.org 1-866-GOT-VOTE?".
11th APIC National Convention Program
8 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches white program with red writing and blue images. The top portion of the cover has stylized red letters spelling "Welcome to Chicago". In the middle there are blue images of campaign buttons for Mayor of Chicago from Daley, Harold Washington, and Jane Byrne. Above the images are red letters spelling "Republican Stronghold from the Lincoln elections to 1931... Bastion of Democratic power ever since". Below the images are red letters spelling "ELEVENTH APIC NATIONAL CONVENTION Sheraton O'Hare Hotel, August 11-13, 1983". The contents of the program provide brief political history of Chicago, especially about the mayors, names of the officers of APIC and the schedule of the convention.
23rd President U.S.A., Benjamin Harrison Token
1-inch copper token with low-relief profile portrait of Benjamin Harrison. The words "23rd President U.S.A. 1889 - 1893" are in low-relief block letters above the portrait and "Benjamin Harrison" is in block letters below it. On the reverse of the token in low-relief block letters is extensive text about his career that begins with "Backbone Ben, Son of his Grandfather."
48 Hours to Choose Our Future Sticker
Blue sticker bisected horizontally with a red line and half a white star. White text above the red line reads "48 Hours to Choose Our Future" and text below reads "Mondale/Ferraro".
7 Reasons Print Ad
Print ad for Automatic Voting Machine Corporation of Jamestown, New York, in operation "since 1898". Headline reads "7 Reasons Why More Than 5,500 Cities, Towns and Villages in the United States Use AUTOMATC [sic] VOTING MACHINES". A black and white image of a man using the automatic voting machine in a voting booth is to the right of a bulleted list of reasons, below the headline.

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