The Evolution of the Political Necktie

In conjunction with today's new listings, featuring a selection of political neck wear, and the recent occurrence of Father's Day, we present a short history of the evolution of the American political necktie.

Interestingly, the first known American political neckties, which featured jugate images of Harrison and Morton, were made as a "clip on" style, in both a bow tie and standard neck tie variety. I had always assumed that the clip on tie was a recent invention (I used to wear the heck out of them as a kid going to Sunday school in the 80's) but it looks like I might not have been that much of a trendsetter.

The clip-on variety of political necktie continued on into the early 20th Century with these ties featuring printed portraits of TR and Taft on silk. These snazzy specimens of political neck wear feature a button clasp on the back to clip onto the top button of a shirt.

This tie, made for the 1928 Hoover campaign, features bolder colors than the earlier examples, and an embroidered owl to highlight its whimsical "Hoo? Hoo? Hoover" slogan.

The coming years saw some bold advances in the world of the political necktie, as the campaigns of FDR, Willkie, and Landon brought forth innovations in materials and production techniques, including multicolor screen printing and the weaving of Willkie's initials and name into the very fabric of the ties.

The Eisenhower campaign featured seemingly endless varieties of color, pattern, and construction.

The Goldwater campaign of 1964 featured this tie, which, fittingly, was extremely conservative in both width and color.

We hope you enjoyed this brief overview of political neck wear, and this week's new listings.