Langfelder Political Memoriablia
Campaigns for political office produce a number of different types of items to promote their candidate. The Langfelder campaigns for mayor of Springfield, Illinois produced items during the three campaigns that Ossie ran for the office. In this collection are a number of examples of the types of items produced by the Langfelder campaigns to connect the candidate to the people of Springfield. Most common, and possibly the most visible is the first item, the bumper sticker. Inexpensive to produce, easy to transport and distribute and with a long life on the bumper of the vehicle even after the election. The bumper sticker is a sort of must have for the candidates for political office in the United States. Possibly the second most common political item it likely the t-shirt, and the Langfelder campaigns offer three examples of them. These shirts were saved by the Langfelder family and were produced by the campaign and worn by the family at political events. A third example, and another that could be considered essential is the writing pen that is produced and handed out by candidates at events and distributed not only by candidates but viewed as essential by anyone looking to promote an organization or cause. The last item mentioned is one that is not common in political campaigns. The Langfelders decided to produce a Christmas ornament with the logo for Langfelder, a copy of his signature with his preferred name “Ossie” a unique example of the ways that the Langfelder campaign worked to connect themselves with the people of Springfield.