International Brotherhood of Blacksmiths,
Drop Forgers and Helpers,
Labor Day Pin (1920) Labor historian John W. Bennett has researched the history of the labor movement since his days as an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts (Class of 1952). A born collector, he began accumulating memorabilia associated with unions, drawn to their potential as a visual record of labor iconography and self-representation.

In 2005, Dr. Bennett donated his collection to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where it becomes part of our strong holdings for the history of organized labor, work, and industry. Extending back to the 1880s, the Bennett Collection includes examples from around the country, but with a particularly strong representation of New England unions between the mid-1930s and mid-1970s.

The following pages include a small sampling of the hundreds of buttons, lapel pins, convention badges, watch fobs, and other artifacts that comprise the collection. A thorough inventory will follow when it is completed.

[ Bennett Collection intro ][ Part 1 ][ Part 2 ][ Part 3 ][ Part 4 ]