I bought these buttons at a Haberdashery/Gallery in an old church in Camberwell a few years ago. The floral design is quite appealing. They labelled them as 1920s – 30s. I like them anyway.
METAL BUTTONS
BUTTON CARD
Here is an original Beutron card with enamel buttons. They are modern and depict The Queen of Hearts. They are a little different being rectangular. The colours are nice and bright but do not show up so well in the photo.
ENAMEL BUTTON
This enamel is a more recent acquisition to my collection. The colours of purple and green are rather pleasing and the fine spray of flowers show up nicely on the white ground. A lot of enamelled buttons have pink and blue flowers so it is a nice change.
CERAMIC BUTTON
Here is a handmade ceramic button which to me is quite unique. I love the textured surface and the brown tint shows up the pattern, It reminds me of an owl with it’s natural colours, feather like pattern and “eyes.” It is very large at 5 cm.
METAL BUTTONS
This group of silver buttons was a lucky find for me at an opp shop earlier this year. They were very dirty and I spent some time cleaning them but was pleased with the result. The theme is Oriental and shows a lady playing a musical instrument and a dragon like creature at the top. A bird is featured on the enamelled rectangle. I do not know their age but guess it may be early 1900s; anyway a good find.
BUTTON COVERS
Here is a set of plastic cameo button covers which are rather nicely made. They are made to slide down over a plain existing button and snapped fast. This dresses up an otherwise plain garment by just changing the buttons. You can see in the photo how they slide down and snap together; a rather clever contraption. I think they were especially popular during the 1980s.
BAKELITE BUTTONS
Here are two rather nice Bakelite buttons which have been carved in definite patterns. They are both quite chunky and maybe would have been coat buttons. They measure a little over 2 1/2cm and have a brass loop shank.
METAL PICTURE BUTTON
Here is a lovely metal picture button named “Woodland Vows” It shows a couple carving their initials in a tree in brass. The border has been tinted purple and contrasts nicely. It has a japanned back and metal loop shank.
GAY NINETIES BUTTON
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.
CELLULOID BUTTON
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.