A Tale of Buttons

Anne here, writing about... buttons. These days people hardly even consider buttons, but for a long time in history they were regarded as very special, and today people collect and display antique buttons.
My grandmother used to keep a large button jar.  Not a person given to waste, Nana used to remove the buttons before discarding any item of clothing, saving them for a time when they might be needed, for when Pop lost a shirt button, or when some home made item needed buttons. There were everyday buttons and there were special buttons.

As a child I loved that button jar. I used to spend hours sorting buttons, organizing them by shape, or size, or color. They evoked special events and mysterious items of clothing. I remember tiny mother-of-pearl buttons, faceted buttons of jet, carved wooden buttons and buttons that sparkled and gleamed. I'd make up stories about them, and of course I had my favorites. I own the button jar now; it's kept for my own pleasure and used at times to entertain visiting children.

Buttons are such everyday items we tend to consider they've been around forever, but while a button might seem to be an obvious thing, for centuries they weren't used as we use them today— to fasten things together. 

Bronze Age people, ancient Egyptians and other ancient peoples apparently wore buttons carved from horn or bone or seashells, made of clay, or from various metals. Some are round, some have holes, some have shanks. But they were decorative — they rarely fastened anything. They were more like a sew-on-brooch, or a series of sew-on brooches. Occasionally, in some ancient societies, cloaks were held together at the neck with one large button and a loop of thread. But the button as we know it, wasn't in use.

History suggests that the first European buttons and button-hole closure system were found in 13th century Germany.

So how did people fasten their clothes before buttons?

They used belts to hold clothes on — think of the kilt. They folded and wrapped cloth around themselves and pinned it with pins or brooches — think of the toga. They used ties and tapes and laces and eyelets. They used hooks and eyes. Sometimes they simply sewed a person into their clothes, and unpicked them at some future date when it was time for a bath and a change of clothing.

 In Europe the idea of the buttonhole was brought back from the Crusades by returning soldiers. It cause a minor clothing revolution — and a whole raft of new fashions.It is around this time that the word button first appears, possibly from the French bouter (to push) or bouton (bud.)

The French were quick to incorporate this new technique in clothing, and around 1250 the Button Makers Guild was formed — an indication of the growing popularity of buttons. Being highly respected craftsmen, the guild members did not make ordinary buttons for ye average clod to wear — these were finely crafted works of art, the kind of expensive item only the rich could afford, and thus became items that carried status. Laws were passed to restrict commoners to wearing certain kinds of buttons.

There was even a war over buttons in France called la Guerre des Boutons. French tailors started using thread buttons -- Buttons made of little balls of thread. This effectively broke the button maker's guild's officially sanctioned monopoly on the manufacture of buttons, so the guild lobbied the government to pass a law against it. The tailors were fined but the guild wanted more: they demanded the authorities search people's homes and inspect their wardrobes. They even wanted people to be arrested and fined for wearing thread buttons. 

According to this site "Europe was so button crazy that even the Church got in on the act and denounced them as 'the devil's snare... Puritans also condemned them as sinful.

During the 16th and 17th century clothes, especially men's clothes, became tighter and more form fitting, and buttons played a strong role in this, allowing garments  to be fastened around the body more closely. They were functional and decorative, used on breeches, waistcoats and coats, but not on shirts. Buttons were rarely used on ladies clothing — for them hooks and laces fastened up the back were still the norm. 

The French have always set the fashion, and buttons were no exception. The early buttons produced were small and decorative, but as they grew more popular, they became larger and more elaborate and the materials more and more precious. The grandest buttons were made of gold inlaid with diamonds, rubies, pearls and other precious gems; these were, of course, for Kings, Queens and the wealthiest of aristocrats. 

There was quantity....
In 1520 Henry VIII met with King Francis 1 of France whose clothing was weighted down with 13,600 buttons — and you can bet that Henry's spies would have reported this in advance and Henry would have been wearing as many buttons, if not more.

And there was quality...
In 1620 the First Duke of Buckingham wore a suit and cloak covered in diamond buttons. Popular artists would paint miniature scenes on buttons, in fact all kinds of artists and craftsmen made all kinds of buttons. 

In the 18th and 19th century button popularity continued to grow, and the period from 1830 to 1850 became known as the Golden Age of buttons. The industrial revolution paved the way for the mass manufacturing of buttons, and more people than ever wore buttons — and lots of them. As a result, England rose to become the premier button making country, overtaking France where buttons were still mostly hand made. 

Uniforms were a place where button-madness ran riot. Napoleon loved buttons and introduced sleeve buttons on tunics. But the English were not far behind and uniforms glittered with rows of fine buttons and braid.

In Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe stories, when Sharpe was low in funds, he'd sell one of his silver buttons from his Rifleman's officer's uniform. This is a Rifleman's button with a raised bugle, horn and crown. Both officers and rank and file wore the same buttons but the officers’ buttons were made of silver rather than base metal.

From the mid 19th century onwards, women started to wear buttons, and it became a major craze. Even so, many buttons were for purely for a decorative purpose and much women's clothing was still fastened with hooks and laces. I'm not sure why. I wonder if it was some kind of chastity thing — making it hard for women to undress without assistance.

Even boots were fastened with buttons, often many buttons, and this popularized the buttonhook, which pulled buttons through stiff material such as stiffened jean or leather. Buttonhooks had been used as far back as the 15th and 16th century, but now they became a necessary implement. Button hooks of this era soon became things of beauty and elegance, fashioned from fine material, fit to sit on a lady's dressing table along with her combs and brushes.

There is so much more I could write about buttons, but a blog is supposed to be short. I hope you found it interesting.

So what about you -- do you have any button memories or observations? Did you have a button jar? Have any favorite buttons as a kid -- or now? 

Comments

[Liz]

My grandmother had a wooden bucket, maybe a firkin sugar bucket, into which she dumped all loose buttons. My mom and I have added more.
A friend told me about a button museum she visited along the Intercoastal Waterway, so maybe there's some place closer. Would love to check out more--nonmilitary, which is what most museums seem to have.

[Anne Gracie]

Liz, I love looking at buttons, too. BTW I had to look up what a firkin sugar bucket was, and found a pic here (for others who also don't know) http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/170640077769#ht_4144wt_1141
How beautiful to have one full of buttons.

[Karenmc]

We had scads of buttons in cigar boxes, and I loved running my fingers through them when I was small.

Our largest teddy bear became so worn out that his legs had to be repaired with a pair of my dad's work socks to hold all the stuffing in; his eyes had come off, so two large buttons from a ladies coat became replacements. I think the bear is in a plastic bag somewhere in a closet in my house. He was a well-loved friend with gray legs and large, flat green plastic eyes.

[Elizabeth Hawksley]

What a lovely post, Anne. It brought back a host of memories of my mother's button bag which contained some beautiful Victorian buttons. My favourite was a round mother-of-pearl button with a silver and crystal centre and minute crystals on a silver rim round the edge, I turned into a choker by sewing it onto a black velvet band.

I also have a tiny button hook, just over one and a half inches long, in brass with a faceted amethyst bead at the end. It was for doing up the buttons on one's evening gloves - very fiddly.

Of course, one could just hand it to the gentleman you had your eye on and he could, very slowly, do up - or undo - the tiny pearl buttons ... There are endless intriguing possibilities!

[Janga]

Fascinating history, Anne. My grandmother had a button box rather than a jar, a tortoise-shell box. Oh, the wonders that box held. My favorites were the jeweled buttons that became treasure defended by Amazon warriors, the brass button with lions' heads that contained secret messages from the captured king, and the enamel buttons that were dishes for the fairies' tea party. Rainy days with Mama were always a delight because of that button box. My computer folder that holds snippets I've cut from poems and stories but couldn't bear to throw away is named The Button Box because of those memories.

[Anne Gracie]

Karen, I loved the tale of your old teddy bear. I still have my dear old teddy. He only has one eye — pulled out by some nasty visiting child. I was devastated I'm told, and apparently I refused to let anyone give him another eye, though various excellent buttons were offered. They didn't match his remaining eye and naturally I wasn't going to let anyone pull that out! His paw pads were replaced when I was about five, I think.

[Anne Gracie]

Elizabeth, thanks for dropping by. Your choker button sounds beautiful. Some of those mother-of-pearl buttons were so lovely. I remember Nana had some teeny tiny ones, small enough for a doll, one would think, but for some ladies garment, not sure what.

Love the thought of the slow unbuttoning of a lady. Hadn't thought of using a button hook in a scene like that. Reminds me of that great scene in Lord Of Scoundrels, where Dain unbuttons the heroine's glove... and really he's slowly unbuttoning his own control.

[Anne Gracie]

Oh Janga, that's it exactly, the stories and games and small moments of dreaming those buttons inspired. Revisiting those buttons now is a bit like catching up with old friends.
And I love it that your box of writing snippets is called the button box.
I can't wait for you to get published!

[Susan/DC]

I too remember going through my mother's button box as a child. I loved the feel of the buttons as well as the sound they made when I poured them through my fingers. Many of them were cool and smooth, and the feeling was quite comforting. As an adult, I've occasionally bought an article of clothing in part because it had such interesting buttons.

P.S. Any topic that provides an excuse for a photo of Sean Bean as Sharpe is a Very Good Thing in my book.

[Anne Gracie]

Excuse, Susan DC? Sean Bean isn't an excuse -- he's a reason. LOL.

And I know exactly what you mean by the cool feel of buttons pouring through your fingers - after I'd poured those buttons out for the first photo, I couldn't help but play with them a little, revisiting old button friends.

[theo]

To heck with the buttons. I just want the man covered with them!

Sorry, minor Bean meltdown there...

Where were we...oh! Buttons, yes, buttons. I too used to pour through, sort, arrange, touch, play with and just generally run my hands through my mother's button jar. I loved that jar. Unfortunately, my mother passed many years before my father and when he went to meet her, the jar was nowhere to be found. It still bothers me. That was a huge though much taken for granted part of my childhood and I'd have liked to keep it around for my kids too. It had some beautiful buttons from when my grandmother was a little girl up to buttons off my own childhood clothing.

Gosh, I miss that jar...

[Anne Gracie]

LOL Theo -- I know what you mean with the meltdown.

And I'm so sorry your own button jar went missing. No doubt someone thought it was just useless junk and tossed it. Clearly a person who'd never played with buttons.

But you know, writing this blog and getting out my own button jar for the first photo made me think it might be a nice gift for people with kids, to start a button jar for them. Certainly small visitors who come to my place can be entertained for a good while with a tray and the jar of buttons. Maybe you can start one for the grandies.

[Deb]

This was such a great and interesting post, Anne. I love all the tidbits I read here at TWW. My grandmother was a wonderful seamstress and had all sorts of buttons. One of my favorite outfits she made for me had buttons shaped like root barrell candy. My mother now has her button stash.

I also have two of my great-grandmother's shoe hooks.

As a teacher, I use buttons in the classroom as markers for learning games. The kids have as much fun sorting through the buttons as playing the ed. games.

Thank you for the post. I enjoyed it!

[Deb]

oops, typed too fast....root beer barrel candy

[Jenny]

This is really interesting Anne. I have to admit that I also remove the buttons before on-forwarding old clothing. I have tins and jars of buttons, many handed down from my mother and grandmother, and started another one a few days ago with the spare buttons that now seem to come with new clothing. So far I haven't lost a button to need the spare!
One of my favourite souvenirs from travelling was to buy buttons made of materials associted with that country. For example pewter buttons from scandinavia, or wooden buttons from New Zealand, or wherever I can find them. They bring back great memories.

[Anne Gracie]

Deb, root beer barrel candy? I had to look that one up, too. I had my first taste of root beer recently in Iowa, on 4th July -- all day I tried to stick to things I thought were quintessentially American and I was surprised by the taste -- not what I'd imagined at all. I thought it would be either like ginger beer or sarsaparilla, but nope :)

But I digress... One of my favorite set of buttons that I had on a dress as a little girl were fish shaped. They're in the button jar now. It's amazing how something so simple as a handful of buttons can amuse a child, isn't it? Especially an imaginative child.

[Anne Gracie]

Jenny I love the sound of your souvenir buttons. Wish I'd thought of that while I was in the US recently. This discussion has made me realize it's been a long time since I added any new buttons to the jar. I might just have to keep an eye out. We used to have some deer horn buttons from our time in Scotland, but I'm not sure where they are. Not in the button jar. Maybe one of my sisters has them.

[Helen]

Anne

My Nana always had a button jar as well and also kept a drawer of her treadle singer sewing machine for buttons and as kids we would always be pulling out the pretty glass type ones and flower ones. This post has brought back so many memories I loved it
Have Fun
Helen

[Bibliophile]

I have a collection of buttons given to me by my grandmother, and made in part up of buttons from my great-grandmother's collection. Some of them may be over a century old, and some of the designs are fascinating. The collection was kept in a large tin that used to hold confectionery and I could play with it for hours when I was a child. I keep them in an even larger tin that my great-gran used as a bread-box. Now I have plans to sew some of the more interesting buttons onto a felt background and display them in a frame, because they really should be seen more.

[Anne Gracie]

Helen, I loved Nana's old treadle sewing machine with all the little drawers and hidey holes it had. Isn't it amazing how widespread keeping button containers seems to be? And how we all loved them.

[Anne Gracie]

Bibliophile, your button collection sounds superb and your precious button display sounds like a wonderful project. If ever you want to send a photo, I'd love to show it on the site.
Oh and the bread box -- I wonder how many people use one of those these days.

[Linda Banche]

So, I'm not the only one who has a button jar. Not that I sew many buttons on lately. Nowadays, we seem to throw the garment out long before the buttons come off. Same with shoes. When was the last time I bought shoelaces?

And I'll take Sharpe with or without the buttons. Preferably without. *g*

[LouisaCornell]

I inherited a number of button jars from my great aunt who worked as a seamstress until failing vision at the age of 88 forced her to retire. I learned all of my needlework from her - tatting, quilting, cross-stitch, sewing, net darning and candlewicking.

I love to sift through her button jars and imagine what sorts of clothes the buttons came from. She had a number of quilt designs incorporating her old buttons. One of these days, when I have the time, I am going to do one like that with her buttons.

I love the jewel-looking buttons and the ones of bone and horn.

And I still have the teddy my grandfather gave me the day I was born. Bernie is well-worn and his eyes have been replaced many times, by many different buttons. Bernie has traveled all over the world with me. If they gave frequent flyer miles to teddies, he'd have more than some people!

[Anne Gracie]

Linda, laughing at your Sharpe comment.
And yes, I think these days we go through clothes faster and just pass them on, buttons and all, to the charity shop. Nana used to get a lot of wear out of clothes, remaking them, cutting them down for the kids, and finally, turning them into cleaning rags.

These days I only remove the buttons if they're particularly nice, and then, if I'm giving the garment to charity, I have to sew on another lot of buttons. LOL

[Anne Gracie]

Louisa, how lovely to travel with a teddy. Did you bring him to New York, and if so, why didn't you introduce him? ;)

Sounds like you inherited some wonderful things from your great aunt -- how fabulous to have passed on skills and a passion, as well as heirlooms. I really love the idea of heirloom buttons.

[Sherrie Holmes]

Anne, thank you for blogging about buttons! I can't begin to tell you how much I adore buttons. I have jars and jars and JARS of colorful buttons. I led a deprived childhood, never having the experience of playing in a button jar. So as an adult, I made up for lost time. I began collecting buttons about 10 years ago, filling jar after jar. Soon word got out among co-workers and suddenly everyone was bringing in their buttons for me. I have large mayonnaise jars whose lids I painted in gay colors before filling the jars with buttons and tucking them in amongst my bookshelves, along with other little curios. These jars of bright, sparkly buttons make it so much fun when friends, perusing my bookshelves, discover the buttons. They always exclaim in delight and pick up the jars and shake them, hold them up to the light, open them and dribble the buttons through their fingers.

I also made a cute little grouping of button jars, 7 in all, ranging in size from baby food jars to pickle jars. I placed them on a doily on a side table, and they just look so unique and interesting. Much better than an old knick-knack!

In another bookshelf I grouped 4 same-size jars and instead of mixed buttons, I separated them by color. One jar has green buttons, one has red, one has blue, and one has yellow. I don't know what it is about buttons, but the appeal is universal, isn't it. My friends and guests always exclaim happily when they discover my button jars, and invariably pick them up and shake them, then open the lids and poke their fingers in, and then they tell me about their grandmothers' button jars . . .

[Anne Gracie]

Sherrie, I suspect you're a buttonholic! ;) What a happy, friendly place your house sounds, so bright and colorful and whimsical. I love that you've collected so many buttons. And yes, they do have universal appeal. I love the idea of the single color button jars, too -- so many variations must be fascinating to look at them all.

[joanna bourne]

I have to admit I love buttons.

I love them especially when they're not useful and they just hang around to decorate things in a frivolous manner. I have a vintage Hawaii shirt with puka shell buttons. I feel so cool when I wear it.

[misskallie2000]

My Nanny made most of our clothes so she had many buttons. I loved to sort through them when I was little and find all the different styles. I have a metal button can full of buttons I have saved over the yrs. Some were extras from sewing projects and some are from fav clothes. I never saved any of my daughters buttons as her clothes were always in great condition and I passed them on to a friend with 2 girls. I never thought about using them as deco. Great idea.

[Cassie P]

My grand mother used to have jars of buttons too
I also spent many a Sunday afternoon sorting through buttons. I loved it. Simple pleasures are sometimes the best.

[Anne Gracie]

Joanna, I just bought some new buttons and took wayyyy too long matching them to the shirt I needed them for -- one button lost in New York, seven new buttons bought.
So many pretty buttons to choose from. I ended up buying some just because I loved the look of them.

[Anne Gracie]

Misskallie, my grandmother was a great seamstress, too, as was my mother. Me, I'm more slapdash than painstaking, so I sew mainly for one-off costumes.

Cassie, it's been wonderful to hear how many other women spent happy hours as children, playing with the button jar, sorting buttons.

Thanks everyone for commenting.

[LILinda]

Missed this post earlier, but wanted to highly recommend the childrens book "The Button Box" by Margarette Reid. The story is about a boy sorting through Grandma's buttons, picking out and matching all differents sorts on each page. My own three adored this book (two boys and a girl) and loved the chance to 'read' it with my own button jar and match up the buttons as the boy did. My youngest is now getting ready to leave for school, and we just ran across her collection jar of buttons in her closet,her stash from reading that book.

[Anne Gracie]

LIlinda, thank you so much for this recommendation. I don't know this book, but I love the sound of it. It sounds like a lovely idea for a present for a small person, too -- the book and a jar of buttons. I'm off to order it now.