Gay Nineties Buttons
Moonglow Buttons
A Potpourri of Glass Buttons
GLASS BUTTONS
The 19th Century should certainly be known as the
“Era of Buttons.” Some of the most beautiful buttons ever produced were during
those one hundred years. Last year's featured buttons at the Keep Homestead Museum were Glass
Buttons. Some from this 19th century and others from the past 20th
century will be mounted in the large button cabinet in Myra’s Button Room. It is
evident that glass buttons held a special place in Myra’s collection as there are a
vast number of these buttons from which to choose.
One type of button that was ever popular in the 19th
century was the small swirl back button that very often was mounted on the charmstrings of
the last half of that century. The story of the KHM Charmstring is in the Button Archives on the
KHM website. However, more information has come to light since that was written. While
doing some other research, another article about charmstrings surfaced. It seems that in
some parts of this country it was the custom to begin a “Marriage String” when a
girl baby was born into a family. Then, on the girl’s 10th birthday, she
was given a “Tea” and everyone who attended brought her buttons for her string.
If she received duplicates she could swap for others that she did not have. This brought
about the custom of girls meeting on a Sunday afternoon and having button-swapping
sessions for their “Marriage Strings.” This custom began around 1850 and
continued until around 1900. With new inventions in the 20th century this
pastime activity died out. However, many of these strings have survived into the 21st
century. Often partially finished strings may be found wrapped in tissue paper and stored
in old family trunks.
In 1941 Lillian Smith Albert wrote in her book A Button
Collector’s Second Journal, about a charmstring that she had purchased from the
original owner, Miss Emily Robbins Childs. Miss Childs’ charmstring was on display at
the Cooper Union Museum in NYC when Mrs. Albert first saw it. Upon talking to the curator
and then to the owner, she learned the following: the owner’s father had been a
merchant in NYC and a salesman with whom he dealt, an importer, gave Miss Emily the
buttons from some of his sample cards. Consequently most of the buttons were in
“proof” condition. Mrs. Albert was able to purchase the charmstring and stated
that she was planning to use it as a “Reference Library” to date buttons. More
importantly she discussed a type of button found on the string. There were 30 perfect
kaleidoscope buttons on it as well as 17 shank plates whose tops had been lost.
Consequently Mrs. Albert decided to restring the buttons and remove all kaleidoscope
buttons from the string because of their fragility. And she advised all button collectors
to do the same with their charmstrings. Other important information that surfaced was that
kaleidoscopes were named by D.F. Johnson, and those buttons on the string dated back to
1876. Other pertinent information in the article described the kaleidoscope buttons as
having a large metal shank plate completely covering the whole button base on which a loop
had been soldered. Over this shank plate had been placed color pigment or a metal foil
design. To this was cemented a glass top alone. The most common tops were plain convex,
others were faceted and sometimes a design was molded to the concave top. The choice tops
were the intaglio designs either cut or molded into the base of the glass and usually in
one color. This seemed to give the button more depth and roundness to the design as
opposed to the customary design, which was just a paper design or metal foil. Various
pattens of flowers, heads and geometric cuts into the glass gave the appearance of
enclosed medallions. She ended this piece by stating that whether or not you called these
buttons kaleidoscopes, 2-piece paperweights or plaids they should be treated carefully as
most of the glue had dried out and the buttons were liable to come apart unless treated
carefully. There is one card of kaleidoscope buttons on display in the KHM, and they were
recarded. I am so glad I did not know of their fragility before undertaking that difficult
task. Mr. Albert stated that all the buttons on the string were of the “Jewel
Type.” There was a picture of the “Childs’ Charmstring” on the title
page of her book.
In the new display you will see many buttons that have not been
out of storage for some time. Others are examples of what I call teaching cards, in that
you will see buttons that have been originally labeled by Myra to show prime examples of
different types of buttons. In recent years some of these titles have changed, but the KHM
has left them as found. This will show that history is not always cast in stone and does
get revised at times, especially as new information surfaces.
The small jewel buttons with metal rims are called
“weskit” buttons. The metal rims surround the glass centers that were frequently
produced at the Sandwich Glass works of Massachusetts. They are also called Golden Age
Buttons, if they have the correct backmarks. They date from the 1840’s time period,
and they certainly enhanced the front of the men’s clothing.
Other very beautiful and popular types of glass buttons were the
Gay Ninety buttons. These buttons were usually large buttons with ornately designed metal
rims and faces with glass pieces inserted into the pattern to resemble gemstones.
Sometimes, of course, they were real gems. But more frequently they were of the type on
exhibit here at the KHM. Paste glass and cut steel were used to embellish the button and
make it shine brightly under candle lit or gas lit chandeliers of the theater or opera
houses. These buttons were used to beautify the cloaks and capes at that time. The
National Button Society has recently renamed these Gay Ninety buttons as their manufacture
did not always fall within the Gay Ninety timeline and were actually manufactured from c.
1880-1930. They are presently called “large jeweled” buttons and oftentimes the
Art Nouveau, the Art Deco and the Egyptian Revival Periods influenced the designs on the
buttons.
Other examples of glass from this era are the Popper buttons,
incorporating pieces of foil into the face of the buttons. There are also examples of
black lustered glass, including silver, gold and iridescence on the button’s front.
Fine examples of Victorian glass in the bright turquoise color, or the custard/tan colors
with the gold outlines on the raised surfaces are included. There are also some fine
examples of both large and small lacy glass buttons on display. Many collectors like to
concentrate their efforts on just this type of glass and look for prime examples that have
not lost their back paint.
Leaving the 19th century and entering the post 1918
time period, we have examples of glass produced in Germany, U.S. Zone, on display as well
as glass made in the United States and Czechoslovakia. Moonglows have become a very
popular type of glass to collect. And the face on these glass buttons has a thin layer of
clear or colored glass that can be seen as it is held sideways to the light at eye level.
These buttons come in many shapes, colors and sizes and were commonly make in the
1950’s time period and embellished with gold and silver and paste accents.
Lester and Hughes in The Big Book of Buttons call paperweight
buttons the “aristocrats of glass buttons” as they represent the epitome of the
glassmaker’s skill and knowledge. There were, of course, paperweights made before
1918, but those in this case are primarily Studio Paperweights created by glass artists of
the 20th century. There are some beautiful examples at the KHM whether old or
of a newer time period. There are examples of studio paperweight artists such as Kaziun,
Rarig, Erickson, Weinman, Gooderham and others. The sulphides on display are not a common
type of paperweight, but they are very popular with collectors. Other types of
paperweights that are popular with today’s collector are known as the
“millefiori” paperweights and are created by the use of different colored glass
rods fused together to form the various designs that are achieved by the glass artist. The
construction of a paperweight button usually consists of three parts: the colored glass
base (1) has the “set up” or design (2) placed on top of that base and then a
glass type dome (3) encases the other two pieces. Sometimes there are very elaborate
designs between the base and the dome. Some are very simply done.
There are other modern types of glass buttons of this same time
period, many are in realistic shapes and were used on children’s clothing. Whatever
type of glass that interests you, I am sure you will find at least one example of it at
the KHM. There is such a variety of glass buttons that it is impossible to mention all of
the types, but you will see them on exhibit and do not hesitate to ask questions as you
view the buttons.
Jacquie
Hatton, March, 2004
The Big Book of Buttons by Elizabeth Hughes &
Marion Lester, 1991
A Button Collector’s Second Journal by Lillian
Smith Albert, 1941
Antique & Collectible Buttons by Debra J.
Wisniewski, 1997
Back
to Top
A Century of Plastic Buttons
A Collage of Plastic Buttons
Vintage to Modern
One of the Brooks
Christmas Sets
|
Bakelite
|
Celluloid Bubble Top |
  Weeber-type
Plastic
|
Plastic Buttons
In 1869 John
Wesley Hyatt discovered celluloid and changed the world. He did not realize the
importance that his discovery would make on the world of button manufacture. At first, the
buttons were created to imitate elephant ivory and the early buttons are very often
confused with those of real ivory. It became a very popular material and its use was
extensive. Hair accessories in the form of
combs, brushes, hair receivers, and other feminine items were used extensively. The
popularity carried over into the jewelry as well as buttons of that time period. This year
the buttons that are being highlighted at the KHM are buttons made from plastic. There are
several trays of early celluloid buttons with many different construction techniques,
including the early imitation ivory. These buttons are often called ivorine or ivoroid
buttons. Bedroom accessories are commonly called French Ivory, but are of celluloid
construction.
Around
the turn of the century, casein, another type of plastic came along. It was made
from milk curds and treated with chemicals to give it its properties. Casein was used
extensively in the manufacture of buttons at that time. In some places it is still used in
the manufacture of buttons today. During the 1950’s and 1960’s plain casein
buttons were used by the two Brooks artists (husband and wife team) to paint their
colorful buttons in England. Queen Elizabeth accepted two different sets of Brooks buttons
for Prince Charles and Princess Ann’s clothing when they were children. Charles’
buttons had colorful toys painted on them and Ann’s buttons had dainty flowers
painted on them. Many of these buttons found their way across the Atlantic and continue to
be very popular with collectors of today.
Between
1907 and 1909 Dr. Leo Hendrick Baekeland, a Belgian chemist living in America at the time,
invented another synthetic plastic. The product became known as Bakelite, named
after the inventor himself. It was advertised as almost an indestructible material, When
hot needle tested, it very seldom leaves a mark. The colors were mostly dark, blacks,
greens, brown-reds, and browns. Later, a similar product called Catalin came
along with a wide range of very vibrant colors. It became extremely popular because of
these beautiful colors and was used in the manufacture of buttons and jewelry. These
buttons are highly collectible and sought after by collectors today. They are pricey and
so popular that reproductions are being made and sometimes sold as original. Care should
be taken when buying these items. You must really know the integrity of the seller.
Today,
of course, there are many different kinds of plastics that have been developed and used in
the manufacture of buttons. Many of these buttons have been used on children’s
clothing and are sometimes in the shape of toys and other interesting items. The pearlized
plastic buttons of today have taken the place of the real mother of pearl buttons
originally used on men’s shirts and women’s blouses. The extensive use of
plastic has found its way into the Couturier market and some very unusual buttons can
still be collected today.
Today,
wherever a person looks, plastic is in evidence in a multitude of ways. Plastic surrounds
us. Some feel it has made life a lot easier. In the medical field alone, plastic is used
in a variety of helpful ways. Just think of the plastic gloves that are in use in
hospitals, not to mention the hundreds of other uses. Some feel there is too much plastic,
especially when a struggle is needed just to get your new computer cartridges out of its
plastic packaging. However, plastic is here to stay and plastic has revolutionized the
button industry. So, enjoy the “Century of Plastic Buttons” now on display in
the button cabinet in the Main Button Room at the Keep Homestead Museum.
Jacquie
Hatton, ’05 |
Bibliography:
The following was most helpful, many thanks:
The
Collector’s Encyclopedia of Buttons, Sally
Luscomb, 5th Edition.Back to Top |
