CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than 200 of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s brooches are on display at Charlotte’s Mint Museum during this week’s Democratic National Convention. Albright was known for wearing her pins with purpose during her tenure — a wasp when meeting with Yasser Arafat; a tortoise when negotiations were moving along slowly.
The exhibit includes pins fashioned into mushrooms, leaves, ruby slippers, Mickey mouse, and, of course, insects. Albright began wearing bug pins after it was rumored that the Soviets had bugged her office. “When she met them,” explained museum staffer Hillary Cooper, “she wore a big bug on her lapel to convey the message that she was on to them.”
Albright has been a hot ticket at the DNC, her appearances drawing solid crowds all week, and her pin exhibit has been equally popular. Caroline Kennedy and Alfre Woodard are among those who stopped by the Mint this week.
