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August 2008 Issue
From Washington D.C. to Washington [State], U.S. citizens invest
and collect decades old remnants of the American election brand.
By Matthew A. Moses
Building a brand is the most important part of any business.
It lets consumers and industry insiders know the quality and level
of service your company will provide. It’s also consumed with
the look, feel and message of your product, much like politics.
If the candidates don’t seem like they can be trusted, consumers…excuse
me…voters won’t come out. If the message is not clear,
or doesn’t reflect that of the target market…I’m
sorry, constitutes, voting blocs will be lost. So where does good political
branding begin? It begins on the campaign trail of course.
"…
Why did Bill never invite me to any of his hot tub parties?" is
a wonderful quote from American Greeting Cards early 2000’s political
collection. "Voting is a serious responsibility, of course, but
these cards take aim at the lighter side of politics by lampooning
the candidates and having some fun with the public's perception of
them," said Steven Kyle, American Greetings' program manager.
Here at Club Relaford, we have a strong affinity for all things
political. The style, class and stories all tickle our roosters, and
what better way to arouse your policy than campaign signs, buttons
and the all American T-shirt that bare your candidates image or slogan.
The Library of Congress houses a lot of these relics, and collectors
around the world keep things interesting by trading rare items on sites
like ebay. LOC.gov also features more intriguing items on their site. “In
the 1860 presidential campaign, brightly colored banners, outrageous
political cartoons, sentimental sheet music covers, and patriotic portraits
were printed to win the vote. The colorful banner and the bold campaign
poster support the candidacy of Abraham Lincoln during his first (and
victorious) presidential campaign in 1860.
The flag was meant to hang like a banner in parades and other
political spectacles, so that Lincoln's face would be oriented vertically.
The printer liberally changed the spelling of Lincoln's first name
("Abram") to accommodate his design. The Library has a rich
collection of graphic political ephemera, much of which came through “copyright
deposit.” The caption reads.
 Washington State University houses a great
collection of political memorabilia. It is called the Frank and
Marty Mullen Political Memorabilia Collection and spans from 1824 to
1992. The curator Marty Mullen writes, “Collections
often begin purely by happenstance and develop quite haphazardly.
This exhibit of American political memorabilia from 1824 to 1992 is
no exception.
In 1970, a dear friend and WSU colleague, James Thurber (who
now teaches at American University and often comments on presidential
politics
for National Public Radio), gave my late husband Frank Mullen
some duplicates from his collection of American political buttons,
and we
were off and running.”
“
Since Frank's academic specialty was the American Presidency,
we decided to concentrate our collecting efforts on presidential campaign
memorabilia. However, the process was anything but linear. We bought
some buttons from dealers (often as presents for each other; in the
early years, our collection grew substantially each December), said
Mullen.
 “
Family and friends gave us many items. Since a number of Frank's
students went on to careers in politics or government, they were a
major source of memorabilia. Occasionally we would learn about and
purchase an entire collection of buttons centered around one candidate
or a particular presidential campaign. (This accounts for the disproportionate
number of Wendell Wilkie and Barry Goldwater items in our collection)” said
Mullen.
Of course we couldn’t truly discuss this topic without mentioning
Senator Barack Obama’s plethora of any-demographic ready “O’s.” They
are serious enough to be authentic yet clean and fresh enough to stand
out against the run of the mill “ “Vote for me” signs
you find in front yards across our great nation.
If you’re ready to begin your own assortment, Ebay really is
a great place to begin your search. Also consider collecting local
posters and buttons, and seek out memorabilia conferences in a town
near you. Don’t forget these items are usually free if obtained
during the current campaign cycle, so if you want a piece of
history you should save those presidential mailers. Happy Hunting!
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about this article to info@clubrelaford.com
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