Arts & Entertainment

New Exhibition at New York Historical Society Displays Historical Campaign Memorabilia

The exhibition "Campaigning for the Presidency, 1960-1972: Selections from the Museum of Democracy" will run from Aug. 26 to Nov. 27.

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — With the craziness of this upcoming election, the New-York Historical Society Museum and Library is displaying one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive collections of historical and political campaign memorabilia at their exhibition "Campaigning for the Presidency, 1960-1972: Selections from the Museum of Democracy" from Aug. 26 to Nov. 27.

More than 120 objects from The Museum of Democracy/Wright Family Collection are on display from the presidential campaigns of John F. Kennedy versus Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson versus Barry Goldwater, Robert F. Kennedy's nomination race, Richard Nixon versus Hubert Humphrey versus George Wallace, and Richard Nixon versus George McGovern.

Attendees can view posters, paper dresses, T-shirts, ads, lapel pins, buttons, board games and other collectibles from previous elections. Some items are funny, while others are scathingly critical, to give viewers a unique look into the different viewpoints that cultivate in full force during elections.

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The memorabilia displayed show the change in tone and aesthetics of 1960s material culture of elections versus the contemporary developments in campaign strategy today.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

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