Pin-back button

This fastening mechanism is anchored to the back side of a button-shaped metal disk, either flat or concave, which leaves an area on the front of the button to carry an image or printed message.

In the United States since the first presidential inauguration in 1789, George Washington's supporters wore buttons imprinted with a slogan.

Some of the earliest campaign buttons to feature photographs were produced to promote the political platform of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.

[2] Benjamin S. Whitehead patented the first innovation to the design in 1893 by inserting a sheet of transparent film made of celluloid over a photograph mounted on a badge to protect the image from scratches and abrasion.

[5][6] Early pin-back buttons from 1898 were printed with a popular cartoon character, The Yellow Kid, and offered as prizes with chewing gum or tobacco products to increase sales.