"Safety First - Vote Dry" Nebraska Prohibition Button
Circa 1916 - Diameter: ¾ inch.
 
A diminutive yet visually compelling celluloid campaign button issued during Nebraska's successful 1916 prohibition referendum. The design features a blue umbrella emblazoned "Safety First" sheltering a map of Nebraska inscribed "Vote Dry," employing the familiar Progressive Era safety slogan to equate statewide prohibition with civic protection and public welfare. Its bold red, white, and blue palette reflects the patriotic visual language frequently adopted by temperance advocates during the years preceding national Prohibition.
 
Political buttons supporting statewide prohibition campaigns were produced in comparatively limited numbers and were intended for brief use during referendum elections. Nebraska's adoption of statewide prohibition in 1916 marked a significant victory for the temperance movement and foreshadowed the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment three years later. Small-format campaign buttons from individual state prohibition contests are increasingly difficult to locate in such well-preserved condition.
 
Condition: Excellent.