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
Pierson Letter
Letter from Isaac Pierson, of Ramapo, New York, to brother Jeremiah Halsey Pierson. The letter discusses the 1801 election deadlock between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. Jefferson and Burr had each recieved 73 electoral votes in the 1801 election and thus the House of Representatives had to vote to determine the next president. At the time the letter was written, Isaac Pierson believed the vote was taken "31 times" and the results were the same, with no majority. At the time the letter was written, Thomas Jefferson had won the presidency after Delaware abstained from voting in the 36th round of voting to take place in the House of Representatives on February 17, 1801.
The Father of His Country Decanter
Clear transparent decanter with profile picture of George Washington with the title "The Father of his Country" on one side. The other side features a profile picture of General Taylor and reads " General Taylor Never Surrenders." Produced by Dyottville Glass works (Philadelphia, PA)

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