Pinback button for Kennedy - Johnson 1960 presidential campaign: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A 1960 presidential campaign pinback button for John F. Kennedy and running mate Lyndon B. Johnson. Kennedy ran as a candidate of the Democratic Party. The button is red, white, and blue. In the central white, elliptical-shaped band is a black-and-white graphic of Kennedy and Johnson depicted side-by-side, from the shoulders up, and facing the viewer. Both men are smiling. The red band above the white band has white text that reads, [NEW / LEADERSHIP]. The blue band below the white band has white text that reads, [KENNEDY / JOHNSON]. There are three union labels and the name of the manufacturer printed along the rounded back edges of the button. The back of the button is silver toned with a brass pin.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1960
• Manufactured by: Green Duck Company, American, 1906 - 2004
• Subject of: President John F. Kennedy, American, 1917 - 1963
• Subject of: President Lyndon Baines Johnson, American, 1908 - 1973
• Subject of: International Photo-Engravers Union of North America, American, founded 1904
• Subject of: Allied Printing Trades Council, founded 1911
• Type: buttons (information artifacts)
• Medium: ink on paper with metal and plastic laminate
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 1 3/8 × 1 9/16 × 3/16 in. (3.5 × 4 × 0.5 cm)
• Place made: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Politics
• Topic: U.S. History, 1953-1961
• Object number: 2017.88.3
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Aaron Bryant
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.