These items are anti-suffrage celluloid pinback buttons from the early 20th century. They were created and distributed as part of an organized counter-movement designed to defeat women\'s voting rights initiatives.Slogan & Background Insights• The \"Personal Liberty\" & \"Vote No\" Slogans: The anti-suffrage movement frequently partnered with or was heavily funded by the liquor industry (brewers and saloon keepers). The liquor lobby feared that if women gained the right to vote, they would overwhelmingly vote in favor of Prohibition. Organizations like the Personal Liberty League were formed to fight against both temperance laws and women\'s enfranchisement under the guise of protecting individual rights.• The Portrait Button: The button depicting a profile of a man with a mustache and glasses features Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. Cleveland was a staunch and vocal opponent of women\'s suffrage, famously writing in a 1905 article that giving women the vote would upset a natural balance and that \"sensible and responsible women do not want the vote.\"• The Front: These are some of the earliest mass-produced political pinbacks in American history. They feature a printed paper design wrapped tightly over a metal disc base, sealed beneath a protective layer of clear, domed celluloid.• The Back Papers: The reverse side contains original advertising paper inserts used by manufacturers. One insert indicates production by The Whitehead & Hoag Co. of Newark, N.J., the premier pioneer that originally patented this celluloid button manufacturing process in 1896. The other back paper credits McMahon Bros..• Union Stamp: The small oval markings on the front and backing papers are \"union bugs\" from the Allied Printing Trades Council of Newark, N.J., which verified that the promotional materials were produced in a unionized labor shop.
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