Pinback button for the Grand Army of the Republic owned by Marquis Peterson: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A pinback button owned by Marquis Peterson. The button is missing the fastening device and is now just a celluloid disk with a metal back and edge. The front has a colored image of a Grand Army of the Republic medal. The image has an eagle at top with crossed cannons, flag patterned hanger and a five-pointed star. Inside the star is the Grand Army of the Republic seal showing a sailor and soldier shaking hands in front of Lady Liberty. Printed around the seal in a circle is “GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC VETERAN.” Printed on the left side of the medal image is “GRAND ARMY.” Printed on the right side of the medal image is “OF THE REPUBLIC.” Printed beneath the medal at the bottom of the disk is “THE WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO., NEWARK, N.J.” Engraved on the back of the button is "WHITEHEAD & HOAG CO / BADGES / PAT. JUNE 12.94. / NEWARK. N.J."

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1894
• Manufactured by: Whitehead & Hoag Company, American, 1892 - 1965
• Owned by: Marquis Peterson, American, 1832 - 1896
• Subject of: Grand Army of the Republic, American, 1866 - 1956
• Type: buttons (information artifacts)
• Medium: celluloid, metal, ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 1 13/16 × 1 3/4 × 1/4 in. (4.6 × 4.4 × 0.6 cm)
• Cultural Place: Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Free communities of color
• Topic: Military
• Topic: U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
• Topic: United States Colored Troops
• Object number: 2017.78.7
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• 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.