Introduction

Buttons and banners, ribbons and posters, coffee mugs and whiskey flasks, match books and mouse pads. For nearly 200 years, presidential candidates and their supporters have used almost every means available to attract votes. Though television and the internet may have replaced the torchlight parades and "whistle-stop" tours of the past, getting the message out remains the primary objective of every presidential campaign.

As a hobbyist and collector of American presidential memorabilia, Dr. Allen Frey has assembled a chronological, visual summary of every presidential election. Photographs of more than 100 authentic historical items from his collection present a pictorial record of the personalities, themes, slogans, and issues of our nation’s elections. Every election appears in this online exhibition with a concise summary of its major features along with photographs of related memorablilia.

All of the items are from the Allen Frey Collection. Many of these objects and the accompanying text are also featured in Dr. Frey’s book, Getting the Message Out: A Collector's View of Presidential Campaigns. Dr. Frey's book, Getting the Message Out: A Collector's View of Presidential Campaigns, is available for purchase at http://www.amazon.com/.