Button, 1899.
Button, 1961.
Buttons, 2024.
Button, 1899
This year’s carnival—including a planned ice palace—was cancelled due to unseasonably warm weather. Surviving buttons are considered hot items by collectors.
Button, 1961
Boreas and Vulcan appear together on a handful of Winter Carnival buttons. In 1961, designers created a cheerful pairing that evokes the era’s Saturday-morning cartoons.
Buttons, 2024
Designed by Kao Lee Thao
For over two decades, Winter Carnival buttons have been available in four designs. In 2024, artist Kao Lee Thao won the design contest. A Carnival enthusiast since her early years growing up in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood, she recalled that the ice sculptures, parades, and fireworks “left a magical mark” on her.
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The Women’s Organization of the Minnesota Historical Society (WOMNHS) was established in January 1949 to advance the Minnesota Historical Society’s core mission: to collect, preserve, and share Minnesota's history.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary in 1999, WOMNHS created the Women’s Organization Sites Enhancement Fund to support projects at the Society’s historic sites.
The Spotlight Gallery is dedicated to WOMNHS, in recognition of its exceptional and enduring support of the Minnesota Historical Society.
