Buttonology

Small, decorative fasteners from the 1800s designed to hold and gently release fragrance. They featured an ornate metal front — often floral in design — layered over a soft, absorbent backing of velvet or felt. A drop of perfume warmed by body heat would diffuse scent throughout the day. Both practical and stylish, they functioned as garment closures and were often removed before washing due to their delicate construction. They held sentimental value, especially during the Civil War era, when women gifted them to loved ones to carry a comforting personal scent.

Crafted from mother-of-pearl, oyster, and freshwater mussel shells, often featuring intricate engravings. Also known as ‘pearl buttons’ for the iridescent shells they were carved from, they were polished, dyed, and sometimes inlaid by skilled artisans to create decorative effects. Major manufacturing hubs in England and the United States produced millions of these buttons before they were eventually replaced by synthetic plastics. The most beautiful of them carry light through the shell itself — they were regarded as quiet markers of status and refinement.

Souvenirs travelers brought home from Rome and Venice — tiny landscapes, floral bouquets, and ruins assembled from thousands of fine glass shards (tesserae). The technique began in the late 1700s as a miniaturization of Vatican mosaics, perfected by artists like Giacomo Raffaelli, aiming to make art accessible in small formats. Up close, you can count the pieces. Step back, and they look like miniature paintings. Early pieces depicted the ruins of the Roman Forum; later Victorian work focused on intricate floral bouquets, birds, and insects.

Emerged in the late 19th century as a popular, affordable, and durable alternative to genuine elephant ivory. Crafted from early celluloid — a plastic developed around 1869 — they could be molded, carved, and colored to mimic the look and feel of real ivory. Known by many names: French Ivory, Pyralin, Ivorine. They came in soft cream and amber tones, often shaped into birds, florals, or figural scenes that look hand-cut. Compassionate luxury, ahead of its time.

Popular from the late 1860s through 1900, jeweled celluloid buttons were early lightweight plastic fasteners often made to imitate luxury materials like ivory or pearl. Set with glass ‘paste’ jewels in bold blues, reds, greens, and golds, they were the costume jewelry of their day — light enough to be worn all over a garment, dramatic enough to catch every candlelight. Behind each one is the work of someone setting tiny glass into early plastic, by hand, before machines could match it.

Primarily produced between 1880 and 1900, these are highly detailed stamped brass or alloy buttons depicting stories, scenes, or portraits. Tiny narratives stamped into brass — birds, mythology, opera scenes from Gilbert & Sullivan, children’s fables, sentimental bouquets. Each one was a wearable story. Often inlaid with cut-steel sparkle that caught the light, they were the fashion statement of women who chose what they buttoned with care. ‘Tussie-Mussie’ buttons depicted tiny floral bouquets, often with symbolic meanings.

Circa 1860–1910, these were prized fashion accessories representing artistic miniature painting. Miniature paintings — portraits, romantic scenes, flowers, mythological imagery — fired onto metal or glass with patience and skill, primarily produced in Limoges, France. Each one is signed not by name but by hand: the brushwork is unmistakable. They were the artistic luxury of their time, made to be looked at closely, status symbols that reflected the Victorian passion for artistic expression.

Leo Popper & Sons, established in 1880 in New York City, became famous for glass buttons produced using traditional Bohemian techniques that avoided modern machinery in favor of hand-pressed artistry. Born in Bohemia in 1831, Leo Popper immigrated to the U.S. in the mid-1800s. His workshop never used machines — only heavy iron hand presses and expensive stock molds, ensuring each piece felt substantial and artisan-made. Famous for colorful glass with rainbow metallic inclusions and gorgeous veins of silver running through. Beyond buttons, the firm provided glass for L. C. Tiffany & Co. and decorative glass for landmarks like the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Leo Popper and son also repaired the torch for the Statue of Liberty.

Popular from the 1840s through 1900s, primarily driven by fashion trends and mourning customs. High-quality pressed glass — often black, milk, or iridescent — set into metal rims or featuring metal shanks. They emerged in the 1800s as both fashion and mourning ornaments, glass framed by metal like a tiny jewel box. The combination feels both substantial and graceful — a piece of glass given a halo. Production peaked in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic), utilizing advancements in press-molding to create intricate, affordable, and luxurious designs.

Popular from roughly the 1880s to 1900s, these are intricate, pressed-glass buttons featuring delicate, openwork designs that resemble lace. Patterns so delicate they look stitched. Made by hand in Northern Bohemia (the Gablonz / Jablonec region), they walked the line between fastener and ornament. Worn extensively on Victorian fashion — cloaks, capes, and dresses — they were never just buttons. Production peaked during the late Victorian and Art Nouveau periods.

Often produced between roughly 1860 and 1914, lustered glass buttons emerged as an elegant, affordable alternative to expensive jet jewelry during the height of Queen Victoria’s mourning fashion. Pressed black glass coated by hand with shimmering metallic finishes in gold, silver, copper, and rainbow. Each one carries a quiet glow that comes from layers of molten glass and patient luster work. Heavy on the dress, light on the eye. Bohemia was the center of production, with many small factories using steam power to press molten glass into intricate molds.

Produced primarily between the late 1940s and the 1960s, these emerged as a major industry following World War II when many glassmakers from Northern Bohemia resettled in the Neugablonz area of Bavaria. From a generation of glassmakers who carried their craft across borders after the war and kept the molten glass tradition alive. Mid-century in feel, with aurora borealis (AB) finishes that create a shimmering rainbow effect, plus moonglow and silver/gold luster effects. Colors that shift in the light, more candy than mourning. A second life for old workshops, dressed for a new era.

Victorian glass buttons (1800s–1920s) were ornate glass fasteners made primarily in the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic, with additional production in France and England. Styles range from intricately pressed mourning glass to colorful, hand-painted types. Mass production popularized these beautiful buttons, which encompass a wide variety of colors and techniques. This is the umbrella category for glass that doesn’t necessarily fall under the other glass categories — Lacy, Glass in Metal, Leo Popper, Lustered, or West German & Czech — including Saphiret and other rare Victorian-era glass.

Antique Satsuma buttons are highly detailed, hand-painted Japanese ceramic buttons produced primarily from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, particularly during the Meiji period (1868–1912). Originating from Kagoshima (the Satsuma Domain), these tiny, intricate works of art were primarily created as luxury export items for Western markets. Tiny works of Japanese ceramic art, painted by hand in fine gold detail — flowers, mythological figures, scenes of paradise. They have crackle glazes that catch light and motifs that take their time to read. Each one is a small painting. Several together — a small museum.

Toshikane buttons, produced from the 1930s to the 1960s in Japan, are highly collectible hand-painted Arita porcelain items featuring detailed, three-dimensional Japanese motifs — most famously the Seven Gods of Fortune, each face painted with care. Founded in 1931, the company shifted from sash clips to buttons, gaining popularity as souvenirs for Westerners via military Base Exchanges. Made in mid-century Japan and brought home by travelers through the post-war years, they are quietly collectible, intricate, and unlike anything else in Western jewelry. Each piece carries a face, a mood, a tiny myth.