25385

1889 Harrison & Morton Silk Campaign Ribbon 1889 Harrison & Morton Silk Ribbon.

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:250.00 - 350.00 USD
1889 Harrison & Morton Silk Campaign Ribbon 1889 Harrison & Morton Silk Ribbon.
<B>1889 Harrison & Morton Silk Ribbon.</B></I> This is the first time we have encountered this interesting item. At first glance, it appears to be a memorial ribbon as, at the bottom, it reads "Funeral Service at Washington, D.C. Mar. 4th 1889." That, of course was the date of the inaugural ceremony for the Benjamin Harrison & Levi P. Morton ticket. Beneath the "Harrison and Morton" header is a strange image of a raccoon wielding an axe above a rooster with its neck on a chopping block; the caption reads "<I>America is tired of this English Rooster; I'll kill him!</B></I>" It's up for debate exactly who produced this ribbon but the writer's theory is that it was a campaign ribbon for Harrison. At the time of the 1888 election, the rooster was the symbol of the Democratic Party (pre-donkey). During his campaign, Harrison resurrected many symbols from his popular grandfather's (William Henry Harrison) candidacy. One of these was the raccoon, symbol of the old Whig Party. The prophetic image of the raccoon defeating the rooster actually came to pass. Harrison became president though he actually had 100,000 fewer popular votes than Cleveland. This awesome and possibly unique ribbon is in incredible condition- clean and bright with no staining, fading or folds. The top shows a few tiny holes where it was originally folded over and sewn- the material is still intact and none of the printed area is affected. Approximately 1.5" x 4.5" overall.