A few of the buttons in the collection come from 1970’s campaigns.
If you venture past the Library Reading Room and into the computer room, you may stumble upon a glass case containing a colorful collection of campaign buttons. The assortment represent classic Americana pop art and depict slogans and images of presidential candidates from the late 1890s to the 2008 election. They are part of an array of election paraphernalia that belongs to the Choate Archives.
Archivist Ms. Judy Donald said that the political campaign buttons collection was donated to the School in stages by alum Charles M. Scotland ’52, who passed away in May. Ms. Donald explained that Scotland “loved the School and he loved the history of the School, so if you have a sharp eye, you will see little bits of Choate Rosemary Hall history.”
At first sight, Scotland’s collection displays a chronology of political movements, but upon closer inspection, one might observe that Scotland has allocated his love for his alma mater in the cultural and historic aspects of his pin compilation. For example, according to Ms. Donald, Scotland was fascinated by the connections between Choate and politics, including both Adlai Stevenson’s ’18 and John F. Kennedy’s ’35 races for president, and the fact that William Howard Taft’s wife, Helen Herron Taft, was a Rosemarian.
The pins illustrate the evolution of politics in the twentieth century because they force the viewer to remember a time when political discourse was more amicable and campaign buttons and fans were forms of social media. “It is a beautiful collection not just showing the history of politics, but also a few cultural themes going on at the time. It’s an obvious thing to put on display right before the election,” explained Ms. Donald.
Ms. Donald added, “The presentation is truly Scotland’s in every way — he designed how all those buttons were going to appear.” Scotland had more than a thirst for preserving the past — he had an artistic eye.
Donald explained that the collection was not receiving as much attention as it deserved in a corner of the reading room, so it was moved to an area where it would be more frequented by students and faculty alike. The next time you walk by the computers in the library, make sure to stop by and admire this valuable, ever-changing exhibition, as the pins are switched out regularly before returning to the security of the Archives.
