Button Power: 125 Years of Saying It with Buttons

by Christen Carter, Ted Hake

From the campaign trail to the rock tour, Button Power collects a people's history of American culture told through the pin-back button. Lively commentary from two of America's foremost button experts shows how the small but powerful button reveals the events and movements that outraged, amused, and inspired us over time, from the solo flight of Charles Lindbergh to the Black Power movement.

Artists, athletes, actors, politicians, punk and pop musicians, and mascots of the past 125 years make cameos, including Rube Goldberg, Muhammad Ali, the Ramones, Shirley Chisholm, Maratona the Snake Handler, and Ray Stevens, singer of "The Streak." The first book of its kind, Button Power is a rich visual feast. Each colorful spread chronicles defining moments in history through colorful photographs and artifacts. This collection will be an essential pick for fans of pop culture, visual culture, and design.

Genres: Art Design, Nonfiction, Art

191 pages, Hardcover

Published October 13, 2020

About the author

Christen Carter is the owner of Busy Beaver Button Company and also runs the Button Museum in Chicago. She's been a fan of buttons since the age of 12 when they were one fo the few items she could buy herself. Interested in design and messaging, buttons are a perfect object that connect us to a people's history and to each other.
Visit the Busy Beaver site where they make custom buttons at: https://www.busybeaver.net/

Reviews

[Jeff Lewonczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look, I suspect you already know whether you're going to geek out over a book featuring hundreds of pictures of pin-back buttons from the late 19th Century to today. If you're in the "yes" camp, it doesn't get any better than this.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first buttons I remember are the smiley face from the 60s/70s and probably I <3 NY.... although there is a centennial button from a county fair. Then came the 80s - Carter refers to the Punk scene, but for me it was New Wave. However, I had no idea how far back the history of pin-back buttons go, nor the beauty of so many of them. I was a bit surprised about the double entendre or out right risque-ness of some of those from the early 20th century (but realized they probably tracked with pre-code cinema).

Totally enjoyable book, obviously well researched.

[Sydni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great coffee table book and a good read for anyone interested in buttons. Large array of topics covered and the photos are pretty to look at.