Campaign Lantern, 1896
name: label: associated person
content: McKinley, William
notes: label: Description
content: Political campaigns of the 19th century reflected popular traditions of commemoration and celebration—such as Fourth of July parades—that became familiar to many Americans in the early Republic. The mechanisms of popular politics not specifically called for in the Constitution—parties, nominating conventions, and electoral campaigns—drew freely on the evocative imagery of such festivities in promoting candidates and building the momentum of the campaign. Mass campaign spectacles arose as a way of demonstrating partisan strength and of mobilizing indifferent and easily distracted voters. The successful presidential campaign of Republican Abraham Lincoln perfected the nighttime torchlight parade, which enjoyed popularity into the late nineteenth century. This lantern was carried in support of the candidacy of William McKinley in 1896.
topic: label: used
content: Political Campaigns
setName: label: See more items in
content: Political History: Political History, Campaign Collection
label: See more items in
content: Government, Politics, and Reform
label: Exhibition
content: American Democracy
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: The Ralph E Becker Collection of Political Americana
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PL.227739.1896.H03
label: catalog number
content: 227739.1896.H03
label: accession number
content: 227739
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Lantern
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: red, white, blue (overall color)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 in x 12 in x 8 in; 20.32 cm x 30.48 cm x 20.32 cm