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The History of Buttons |
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What is a button?: Button: In clothing and fashion design, a button is a small disc- or knob-shaped, typically round, object usually attached to an article of clothing in order to secure an opening, or for ornamentation. Functional buttons work by slipping the button through a fabric or thread loop, or by sliding the button through a slit called a buttonhole. Buttons may be manufactured from an extremely broad variety of materials, including natural materials such as antler, bone, horn, ivory, shell, vegetable ivory, and wood; or synthetics such as celluloid, glass, metal, and plastic. (1)
History Talks: If I could put the history of the button into a surmised page of text then I could never have done it as beautifully as the webpage “A History of the Button”, by Roy Earnshaw (2):
“ABOUT 1250 A.D. ETIENNE BOILEAU, Provost of Paris (sort of like the Mayor) established laws governing French craft guilds (sort of like unions). One of these was the button maker’s guild. Guild candidates had to be at least 17 years of age, of legitimate birth, and willing to fork over a fifth of their wages to the guild, a tenth to their king. This is about the earliest recorded indication that buttons were becoming increasingly popular. And, they were also becoming buttons in the true modern sense, thanks to the invention of the buttonhole by some unknown genius, perhaps as early as the 13th century. People found buttons aesthetically pleasing. Inevitably, they came to be symbols of rank, affluence and, unfortunately, oppression. Most commoners couldn't afford the fancy, finely-crafted tapestry or metal buttons the aristocrats had taken to wearing. But even had they scraped together the necessary francs, they couldn't have worn them: royal decree restricted them to plain cloth- or thread-covered buttons. This must have rankled, especially given the extravagant tastes of the aristocracy, who aped the even more lavish styles of the French court. In their lust for fancier and fancier buttons, the French kings drove the increasingly skillful guild button makers to new heights of artistry, soon establishing France as the center of the world's burgeoning button industry. King Francis I of France, for instance, had a formal costume adorned with 13,600 buttons, and resembled a Las Vegas casino when the bright light hit him. A century later, Louis XIV embarked upon a 72-year reign of button buying that ultimately cost France over five million dollars, thereby draining the national treasury. (Four wars and a new palace at Versailles also contributed.) The Sun King favored gold buttons embellished with precious stones, and doled them out to whichever of his mistresses pleased him most. The English kings got in the act too. Charles I of England, a contemporary of the Sun King, popularized the use of handkerchiefs decorated with jeweled buttons. (He was later beheaded, but not for that particular offense.) Royal tastes were gaudy. Precious metals were abundant. Closer-fitting, more button-laden garments had come into style. (And most coats now had buttons on the sleeves, to discourage men from using them as napkins.) All these things helped usher in the century in which the button shines forth in its greatest magnificence. “
And more: Buttons have been found to exist as far back as the Bronze age when they were worn as ornamentation. Though it is thought that the button can be linked way back to 2000BC; to southern Asia around the Indus Valley region, where they were used as a decoration – a commonality that continued well throughout the ages. Although not called buttons, these adornments were used to decorate belts and other metal, a sign of prestige and rank. Primitive man used thorn and sinew to hold clothing together. Bone stick pins were also used. The evolution of the button in man’s hands saw the early Greeks and Romans using shell, and wood buttons as standard closures. Later, when the introduction of metals came, clothing was closed with metal pins. Though this ruined fabrics from the constant use of repining on and off. The Egyptians used cloth ties and broaches or buckles to hold their clothes together. The Greeks and Romans are thought to have worn buttons to actually fasten clothes. They sometimes even attached them to pins; while other early European ruins have unearthed various button examples of ivory, bone, jeweled, gold and silver. The 13th century saw form-fitting clothes come into vogue and buttons became necessary as fasteners. For a long time buttons were a status symbol and men competed to see who could have the best, the largest or the most intricate buttons. They were used by the nobility and made of silver and gold. Buttons were made with exquisite paintings on them. They were carved, inlaid, stamped and covered. Craftsmen were hired just to make buttons.
How Buttons Were Made: suit for his meeting with Henry VII of England about an alliance. Henry himself was just as
Bibliography:
(1) Wilkipedia (2) A History of the Button, by Roy Earnshaw. http://www.landsend.com/cd/fp/help/0,,1_36877_36882_37075_,00.html
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