All things buttons & more …
Here is a Gay Nineties button of brass with a purple glass stone. As the name suggests it is from the 1890s. The embossing on the inner circle is very decorative as is the border. I notice in the photo that it has had purple paint applied originally which is not so obvious to the naked eye. It measures a little under 4 cm.
This Celluloid button was made by Marion Weeber from USA in the 1940s. It is the only one of her buttons I have and I love it. The colours are great and the fruit quite realistic. It has a celluloid shank and measures a little over 3 cm.
This Cut Steel button is rather large at 3 1/2cm. The cut steels are rivetted into the brass individually. They are made from old horseshoe nails and when they catch the light resemble diamonds as they are facetted. I can imagine them twinkling by candlelight in their day.
This group of laminated bakelite buttons are very colourful and in an Art Deco style. Two of them combine bakelite and wood. They are rather chunky and very striking in my eye.
This trio of shell buttons are quite striking. Two show a bird while the other one depicts leaves. They have been painted with a black gloss on the front which has then been etched back in the design to reveal the shell underneath. They are modern.
Here is a group of Satsuma porcelain buttons all with a floral theme. There is a variety of colours; they vary in sizes too. I am a lover of Satsuma buttons and have quite a nice collection of them. The ones with people on them are not so easy to find but I have a few.
I have had this button for a long while and it is a favourite of mine. It has a delicate painting of a couple and you can even see the buttons on the man’s coat. It also has a decorative border of brass and enamel which makes for a lovely button.
This is a common type of enamel button with a floral design in pink and blue on a white background. It has a scalloped edge in gold and a brass loop shank. At 2 cm it is not very big.
Here is a lovely group of Lithograph portrait buttons in various sizes. The largest one measures 3 1/2 cm while the tiny ones are under 1 1/2 cm. The one with the open work metal border has a lady; the others show a man. The colours are very delicate and pleasing.
Here are two more buttons from Sth. Africa. They are both striking and I love them. Being very chunky they would only be suitable for a very heavy overcoat but perhaps not so functional. They are Ceramic and are finished with a high gloss glaze.