Buttons and Ribbons

Title

Buttons and Ribbons

Description

The Lewis collection includes approximately 60 buttons, pins, and badges issued in the United States or in England. Buttons were a popular way to demonstrate support or opposition for the woman’s suffrage movement, raise money, and spark conversation about the campaign. Supporters wore their buttons to proclaim popular and recognizable slogans like “Votes for Women” or “Suffrage First.” Buttons and badges displayed the names of organizations and the official colors, including gold and black, yellow and blue, purple, white and green, or some other variation to highlight a particular campaign.

The collection also includes several anti-suffrage buttons issued by groups such as the Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women, and a small group of satirical buttons created by the American Tobacco Company.

Collection Items

Pinback button : National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies." [Circa 1900-1910]
Red, green and white pinback button with the name of the organization, the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies. The NUWSS was founded in Great Britain in 1897 by the merger of the National Central Society for Women's Suffrage and the Central…

Pinback button : Votes for Women CWSA, [Circa 1905-1915]
Purple, green, and white pinback button with the slogan "Votes for Women" surrounding a central chain link design and the initials for the Connecticut Woman Suffrage Association (C.W.S.A.). The chain link design and the colors were taken from the…

Pinback button : Forward / Denver. [Circa 1905-1915]
Pinback with colorful illustration of a herald holding a trumpet in one hand and, in the other, a banner with the word "Forward." Along the bottom is the name "Denver."

White backpaper contains the name of the manufacturer and the distributor.

Pinback button : Let Mother Vote. [1910-1911]
Blue and white pinback button with the appeal to "Let Mother Vote" inside an outline of the state of Ohio. This button was issued in 1911 when the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association was lobbying voters for an upcoming woman's suffrage referendum. The…

Pinback button : Votes for Women. [Circa 1910-1913]
Blue on yellow celluloid pinback button with the slogan "Votes for Women" surrounding a blue flag with ten stars.

White backpaper contains the name of the manufacturer.

This button was issued by Illinois suffragists, sometimes with nine stars.…

Pinback button : Votes for Women. [Circa 1910-1915]
Purple, green and white celluloid pinback button with the slogan "Votes for Women" printed in gold. This button was most likely distributed by the Women's Political Union, founded by Harriot Stanton Blatch. The WPU adopted the same colors as the…

Pinback button : Votes for Women. [Circa 1910-1915]
Purple, white, green, and gold pinback button with the slogan "Votes for Women" in black print.

White backpaper contains the name of the manufacturer.

Pinback button : Votes for Women. [Circa 1910-1915]
Red on white on blue pinback button with the slogan "Votes for Women" surrounded by six stars.

This pin was produced by the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1911 when California was expected to become the sixth suffrage…

Pinback button : Votes for Women. [Circa 1910-1915]
Purple and green pinback with the slogan "Votes for Women" printed in white.

Purple, green and white were colors associated with the suffrage movement in England, but several American suffrage organizations borrowed the colors.

White back…

Pinback button : Votes for Women. [Circa 1910-1915]
Black on gold pinback button with the slogan "Votes for Women."

The black and gold indicate that this was most likely issued by the National American Woman Suffrage Association but may have been distributed during the California campaign in…
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