Keep Homestead Museum

Black Glass Buttons
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| Visiting Black Glass Buttons Centuries ago glass was known to man! This
seems to be incredible, but true! Glass beads were found
in King Tuts Tomb when it was discovered in the 1920s. When Queen Victoria
s beloved Albert died suddenly she adopted black mourning clothes for the rest of
her life. She also adorned herself with black jet jewelry made from Whitby jet, which was
mined in Whitby, England. Because of the popularity of this black jewelry and buttons and
because the demand exceeded the supply, black glass was substituted to fill this demand. There are literally thousands of patterns
and designs used in the manufacture of black glass buttons. There are plain black glass
buttons, silver and gold lustres, blue, pink, green and copper lustres, faceted, and
engraved, as well. Iridescent black glass was invented before Carnival glass
& yet many uninformed persons request Carnival glass buttons! There are
glass wafers, screenbacks, Tingues, watch crystals, paperweights, moonglows and Poppers.
There are a multitude of shapes and sizes all made from
black glass. One could spend an entire lifetime just collecting black glass
buttons----Antique, Vintage and Modern. At the KHM there are cards of black
glass buttons, bags of them and boxes of them, many still waiting to be carded and
inventoried. It is obvious to those who have been working on the buttons at the museum
that Myra had a keen interest in collecting these buttons. She had accumulated so many of
them! In the latest exhibit, cards of black glass buttons have been selected to show
the visitor that there is a vast array of many different types of black glass buttons.
Perhaps visitors will find a particular kind that appeals to them! Be sure to note the rose colored
1890s dress on display with 39 faceted black glass buttons. There would have been 40
buttons but for the owner shortening the dress, thus eliminating the need for that 40th
button. Upstairs in the 1890s bedroom there is another dress on display. You will
notice that there are small black glass buttons on the front of the dress. They are all
approximately the same size, but they have different designs on their fronts. We can
suppose that at one time a button was lost and replaced by another of the same size. As you examine the buttons in the new
display please notice the display of Mosaic Buttons in the floor cabinets. They are one of
the rare kinds of black glass buttons at the KHM. Jacquie Hatton, 2009 |
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