Nixon_dress_300
Wearing your political affiliation on your sleeve ... or everywhere but your sleeves: A Nixon-era minidress
We all know the game of politics and how it’s played – commercials, advertising, press and so on. Although those things tend to stand out most, another factor that has played a large part in the history of U.S. elections is memorabilia. It’s interesting to see the many ways in which candidates have gotten their names and images out there. Saint Louis University’s Museum of Art’s current exhibit, "Persuasive Politics: Presidential Campaign Memorabilia," has over 200 campaign items on display from centuries past. These items range from the usual to the bizarre and include such things as Richard Nixon erasers, an “I Like Ike” cigarette pack, an 1860 Abraham Lincoln campaign coin, an “LBJ For the USA” plastic hat, an FDR “Ship of State” clock and much more. Cecelia and U.I. “Chick” Harris donated all the memorabilia on display, in 2007, with the request that it be available to the public during a presidential election year. It is meant to encourage political participation and an interest in history. Considering how historical this election was, stocking up on Obama memorabilia is not a bad idea – whether your interest be in an item’s historical value or cash value. The museum is located at 3663 Lindell and is open Wednesday through Sunday. The exhibit runs through December 21st. You can visit sluma.slu.edu for more information. —Alex Bates, Fall Intern
