Editing Button

{{Short description|Small fastener}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:Reserveknapper til Hans' uniform.jpg|thumb|Brass buttons from the uniform of a Danish [[World War I]] artillery lieutenant]]
[[File:Three holes buttons.jpg|thumb|Modern buttons made from [[vegetable ivory]]]]

A '''button''' is a  [[fastener]] that joins two pieces of [[fabric]] together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a [[buttonhole]].

In modern [[clothing]] and [[fashion design]], buttons are commonly made of [[plastic]] but also may be made of metal, wood, or [[seashell]]. Buttons can also be used on containers such as [[wallets]] and bags. Buttons may be sewn onto garments and similar items exclusively for purposes of [[fashion|ornamentation]]. In the [[applied art]]s and [[crafts|craft]], a button can be an example of [[folk art]], [[studio craft]], or even a miniature [[art object|work of art]]. In [[archaeology]], a button can be a significant [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifact]].

==History==
[[File:Spanish button ca. 1650-75 12mm f&b.jpg|thumb|Spanish button (approx. 12 mm) from ca. 1650–1675]]
Buttons and button-like objects used as ornaments or [[Seal (emblem)|seals]] rather than fasteners have been discovered in the [[Indus Valley civilization]] during its [[Kot Diji]] phase (c. 2800–2600 BC).<ref name="Kot Diji Button seal">{{cite web|url=http://www.harappa.com/indus2/128.html|title=Fired steatite button|last=Khan|first=Omar|year=1999|work=The Indus Civilization|publisher=harrapa.com|access-date=11 March 2010|location=San Francisco, USA}}</ref> Buttons as apparel have been found at sites of the [[Catacomb culture]], Russia (2500-1950 BC), at the [[Tomb of the Eagles]], Scotland (2200–1800 BC),<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-27 |title=A Day in the Neolithic: A Walk Through 5,000-year-old Scotland at the Tomb of the Eagles |url=https://www.seniorhikermagazine.com/a-day-in-the-neolithic-a-walk-through-5000-year-old-scotland-at-the-tomb-of-the-eagles/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519173031/https://www.seniorhikermagazine.com/a-day-in-the-neolithic-a-walk-through-5000-year-old-scotland-at-the-tomb-of-the-eagles/ |archive-date=2024-05-19 |access-date=2020-10-24 |website=Senior Hiker Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Mamwell|first=Caroline Jane|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5clOvwEACAAJ|title='It Rained a Lot and Nothing Much Happened': Settlement and Society in Bronze Age Orkney|date=2018|publisher=University of Edinburgh|pages=146|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Hedges|first=John W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nLHvMEWhOBUC&q=Button|title=Tomb of the Eagles: Death and Life in a Stone Age Tribe|date=1998-04-21|publisher=New Amsterdam Books|isbn=978-1-4617-3268-6|pages=152|language=en}}</ref> and at [[Bronze Age]] sites in [[History of China|China]] (c. 2000–1500 BC) and [[Ancient Rome]].

Buttons made from [[seashell]] were used by the Indus Valley Civilization for ornamental purposes by 2000 BC.<ref name=Hesse&Hesse>Hesse, Rayner W. & Hesse (Jr.), Rayner W. (2007). ''Jewelrymaking Through History: An Encyclopedia''. Greenwood Publishing Group. 35. {{ISBN|0-313-33507-9}}.</ref> Some buttons were carved into [[geometric shape]]s and were pierced so that they could be attached to clothing with thread.<ref name=Hesse&Hesse/> Ian McNeil (1990) holds that "the button was originally used more as an ornament than as a fastening, the earliest known being found at [[Mohenjo-daro]] in the [[Indus Valley]]. It is made of a curved shell and is about 5000 years old."<ref>McNeil, Ian  (1990). ''An encyclopaedia of the history of technology''. Taylor & Francis. 852. {{ISBN|0-415-01306-2}}.</ref>

Egypt's [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Eighteenth Dynasty]] left behind ornate wig covers, fabricated through sewing buttons formed of precious metals onto strips of backing material.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shaw |first=Garry J. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.30861/9781407303086 |title=Royal Authority in Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty |date=2008 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=978-1-4073-0308-6 |location=Ann Arbor, MI|doi=10.30861/9781407303086 }}</ref>

Leatherwork from the Roman Empire incorporates some of the first buttonholes, with the legionary's [[Loculus (satchel)|''loculus'']] closed through the insertion of a metallic buckle, or button into a leather slit. A similar mechanism would later feature in early medieval footwear.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Viking Boot: History of York|url=http://www.historyofyork.org.uk/timeline/viking/viking-boot|access-date=2020-11-14|website=www.historyofyork.org.uk}}</ref>
Buttons appeared as a means to close cuffs in the [[Byzantine dress|Byzantine]] Empire and to fasten the necks of Egyptian tunics by no later than the 5th century.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Westward Journeys of Buttons - AramcoWorld|url=https://www.aramcoworld.com/Articles/November-2020/The-Westward-Journeys-of-Buttons|access-date=2020-11-28|website=www.aramcoworld.com}}</ref>

===Middle Ages===
It has been proposed that the European [[Crusades|Crusaders]] brought the innovation of the [[buttonhole]] back from the Middle East, allowing for more fitted garments for men. About this time, the [[Vikings]] were also using buttons, which they had come across through their trading partners.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Hughes |first=Elizabeth |title=The Big Book of Buttons: The Encyclopedia of Button History, Design, and Identification |last2=Lester |first2=Marion |publisher=St. Johann Press |year=2010 |isbn=9781878282712 |edition=2nd |location=Haworth, NJ |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=xix}} Prior to the introduction of the buttonhole, two pieces of fabric were butted together, rather than overlapped, and toggles, belts, or lacings were used.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Fink |first=Nancy |title=Buttons: the collector's guide to selecting, restoring and enjoying new and vintage buttons |last2=Ditzler |first2=Maryalice |date=1993 |publisher=Courage Books |isbn=978-1-56138-215-6 |location=Philadelphia, PA}}</ref>{{Rp|page=9}}<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Godoroja |first=Lucy |title=All Buttons Great and Small |publisher=Exisle |year=2023 |isbn=9781925820836 |location=Chatswood, Australia |pages= |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=19}} The growing importance of buttons was marked by the establishment of button making [[Guild|guilds]] in the 13th century. Initially, [[Louis IX of France|King Louis IX]] of France included button makers in the established [[Rosary and scapular|rosary]] makers guild, but later regulations categorized button makers in three categories: those who worked in horn, [[bone]], and [[ivory]], those who used metals, and makers who used precious metals and glass.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=19-20}}

[[File:Doublet.jpg|thumb|a doublet, a close fitting men's jacket worn in the Renaissance]]

===Renaissance===
The fitted fashions of the [[Renaissance]] required buttons to achieve their shape. For example, the tight-fitting jacket known as the [[Doublet (clothing)|doublet]] required rows of many buttons. An additional opportunity to use buttons came with the incorporatinon of detachable sleeves into garments. This  practice had been in use in Florence since the 1200s. Sleeves could be switched out to be washed or to be replaced by fancier sleeves demanded by particular settings.<ref name=":1" /> Women's fashion that this time still used lacings, and thus buttons on their clothing were generally decorative.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=9}}

Buttons were also impacted by the elegant culture of the Renaissance courts. They were no longer seen as simply utilitarian objects, but rather as luxury items that could reflect wealth and status. These buttons, some of which were made of precious metal encrusted with jewels, be seen as jewelry.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buzzaccarini |first=Vittoria de |title=Buttons & Sundries |last2=Minici |first2=Isabellla Zotti |publisher=Zanfi |year=1990 |isbn=0896762017 |location=Italy |language=en}}</ref>{{RP|page=14}}  Because their owners might want to move these valuable buttons from one piece of clothing to another, they often were not sewn on with thread. Rather, their shanks were pushed through the fabric and were held in place with metal strips inserted through the shank.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Whittemore |first=Joyce |title=The Book of Buttons |publisher=DK |year=1992 |isbn=1564580288 |location=New York |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=8}} At the time, wood, bone, brass and pewter made it possible for less expensive buttons to be produced.<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=8}}

=== 17th Century ===
[[File:Jerkin MET 26.196 d2.jpg|thumb|Silk buttons on a late 16th century jerkin from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute]]
Fabric-covered buttons and embroidered buttons because popular in Europe in the 17th century. These were often small, and served a decorative, rather than functional, purpose. The early 17th century short [[jerkin]], wide breeches and cloak may have been adorned by dozens of buttons, and with so many, they needed to be lightweight.<ref name=":3" />{{Rp|page=xx}} The mid century French-originated knee-length coat, the [[Justacorps|justaucorps]], had buttons from the neck to the knee, buttoned sleeve [[Cuff|cuffs]], and buttoned flaps on the [[Pocket|pockets]].<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=24-25}} <ref>{{Cite web |title=1670-1679 {{!}} Fashion History Timeline |url=https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1670-1679/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu |language=en-US}}</ref>

French law, concerned with protecting the silk industry in Paris and Lyons, required buttons to be covered in silk. On the other hand, England did not allow fabric buttons in the late 1600s and early 1700s.<ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=9}}  Tailors could make fabric-covered buttons with leftover fabric, which threatened the guild of  button makers.<!-- need citation --> 

===As containers===
Since at least the seventeenth century, when box-like metal buttons were constructed especially for the purpose,<ref name="17th smuggler button">{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2008/06/marv_bondarowicz_the_oregonian_3.html|title=For a collector hooked on history, every button tells a story|last=Dahl|first=Liz|date=June 5, 2008|work=The Oregonian: Homes & Gardens|publisher=Oregon Live LLC|access-date=11 March 2010|location=Oregon, USA}}</ref> buttons have been one of the items in which [[drug]] [[smugglers]] have attempted to hide and transport illegal substances. At least one modern smuggler has tried to use this method.<ref name="2009 Australian customs finds heroin in dress buttons">{{cite web|url=http://www.customs.gov.au/site/Heroinconcealedindressbuttons.asp|title=heroin concealed in dress buttons|last=Australian Government|date=12 November 2009 |publisher=Customs and Border Protection Communication and Media|access-date=11 March 2010|location=Australia}}</ref>

Also making use of the storage possibilities of metal buttons, during the [[World Wars]], [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[U.S. military]] [[locket]] buttons were made, containing miniature working [[compass]]es.<ref>{{harv|Luscomb|2003|p=126}}</ref>

==Materials and manufacture==
[[File:Button stamping machine, Henri Jamorski Button Factory, Paris, France, 1919 (28206559760).jpg|right|thumb|Button stamping machine at the Henri Jamorski Button Factory in Paris, 1919]]
{{see also|List of raw materials used in button-making}}

Because buttons have been manufactured from almost every possible material, both [[Natural materials|natural]] and [[Synthetic chemical|synthetic]], and combinations of both, the history of the material composition of buttons reflects the [[timeline of materials technology]].

Buttons can be individually crafted by [[artisans]], [[craftspeople]] or [[artists]] from [[raw materials]] or [[found objects]] (for example [[fossils]]), or a combination of both. Alternatively, they can be the product of [[low-tech]] [[cottage industry]] or be [[Mass-production|mass-produced]] in [[High-tech#High-tech industries|high-tech]] [[factories]]. Buttons made by artists are [[art object]]s, known to button collectors as "studio buttons" (or simply "studios", from [[studio craft]]).<ref name="Studio buttons at Button Country">{{cite web |url=http://buttoncountry.com/studios.htm |title=Studios (Section 23-11) |last=Peach State Button Club |year=2010 |work=Button Country |publisher=Peach State Button Club |access-date=11 June 2010 |location=Georgia, USA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606190304/http://www.buttoncountry.com/studios.htm |archive-date=6 June 2010 }}</ref>

In 1918, the US government made an extensive survey of the international button market, which listed buttons made of [[vegetable ivory]], [[metal]], [[glass]], [[galalith]], [[silk]], [[linen]], cotton-covered [[crochet]], [[lead]], [[snap fastener]]s, [[Vitreous enamel|enamel]], [[rubber]], [[antler|buckhorn]], [[wood]], [[horn (anatomy)|horn]], [[bone]], [[leather]], [[paper]], pressed [[cardboard]], [[nacre|mother-of-pearl]], [[celluloid]], [[porcelain]], [[composition doll|composition]], [[tin]], [[zinc]], [[celluloid|xylonite]], [[stone]], cloth-covered wooden forms, and [[papier-mâché]]. Vegetable ivory was said to be the most popular for suits and shirts, and papier-mâché far and away the commonest sort of shoe button.<ref>The United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Paper and Stationery Trade of the World, Government Printing Office, 1918</ref>

Nowadays, hard plastic, seashell, metals, and [[wood]] are the most common materials used in button-making; the others tending to be used only in premium or [[antique]] apparel, or found in [[Button collecting|collections]].

Over 60% of the world's button supply comes from [[Qiaotou, Yongjia County]], [[China]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/welcome-to-button-town-china/|title=A look at China's "Button Town"|website=www.cbsnews.com|date=8 October 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5686805|title=Chinese 'Button Town' Struggles with Success|website=NPR.org}}</ref>

===Decoration and coating techniques===
Historically, fashions in buttons have also reflected trends in [[Applied aesthetics#Two-dimensional and plastic arts|applied aesthetics]] and the [[Applied arts|applied]] [[visual arts]], with buttonmakers using techniques from [[jewellery making]], [[ceramic art|ceramics]], [[sculpture]], [[painting]], [[printmaking]], [[metalworking]], [[weaving]] and others. The following are just a few of the construction and decoration techniques that have been used in button-making:  <!-- Incomplete list. Please help by expanding to it -->

{{Columns-list|colwidth=22em|
*[[Arita ware|Arita porcelain]]
*[[Cloisonné]]
*[[Daguerreotype]]<ref>{{harv|Luscomb|2003|p=53}}</ref>
*[[Electroplating]]
*[[Embroidery]]<ref name="French embroidered decorative buttons, made 1785-1792">{{cite web|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127202/mans-suit-coat/|title=Man's suit, Coat and breeches|last=Victoria and Albert museum|author-link=Victoria and Albert Museum|publisher=V&A Images|access-date=10 March 2010|location=London, UK|archive-date=24 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824194648/http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127202/mans-suit-coat/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Filigree]]<ref name="Elements of German filigree button, made 1880">{{cite web|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O140427/elements-of-a/|title=Elements of a German filigree button, made ca 1880|last=Victoria and Albert Museum|work=[[Victoria and Albert Museum#Jewellery|V&A Jewellery collection]]|year=1880 |publisher=V&A Images|access-date=10 March 2010|location=London, UK}}</ref>
*[[Intaglio (printmaking)|Intaglio]]<ref>{{harv|Luscomb|2003|p=104}}</ref>
*[[Lacquerware]]
*[[Lithography]]<ref>{{harv|Luscomb|2003|pp=123–124}}</ref>
*[[Metallizing]]
*[[Metal openwork]]<ref name="Gilded and enamelled metal openwork buttons">{{cite web|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O22588/jacket-from-bridegrooms/|title=Jacket from bridegroom's outfit|last=Victoria & Albert museum|work=V&A Jewellery collection|year=1992 |publisher=V&A Images|access-date=10 March 2010|location=London, UK}}</ref>
*[[Opus interassile]]
*[[Passementerie]]<ref name="Passementerie buttons, made 1740-1749, probably French">{{cite web|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127140/coat/|title=Coat - Victoria & Albert museum|publisher=V&A Images|access-date=10 March 2010|location=London, UK}}</ref>
*[[Portrait miniatures]]
*[[Satsuma ware]]
*[[Vitreous enamel]]
}}

===Styles of attachment===
[[File:Plastic & fabric buttons showing holes & shank.jpg|thumb|right|Three plastic sew-through buttons (left) and one shank, fabric-covered button (right)]]*'''Flat or sew-through''' buttons have holes through which thread is sewn to attach the button.<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |editor-last=Colton |editor-first=Virginia |title=Complete Guide to Sewing |publisher=Reader's Digest |page=352 |date=1978 |isbn=0-89577-026-1}}</ref> Flat buttons may be attached by [[sewing machine]] rather than by hand and may be used with heavy fabrics by working a thread shank to extend the height of the button above the fabric.
[[File:Shank_buttons.jpg|thumb|left|An assorti of ''shank buttons'']]
*'''[[Shank (sewing)|Shank]]''' buttons have a hollow protrusion on the back through which thread is sewn to attach the button.<ref name="Button shanks, various materials & types">{{cite web|url=http://buttoncountry.com/shanks.htm|title=Back Types/Shanks (23-3)|last=Button Country|year=2010|publisher=Peach State Button Club|access-date=11 March 2010|location=GA, USA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617004046/http://www.buttoncountry.com/shanks.htm|archive-date=17 June 2010|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Button shanks may be made from a separate piece of the same or a different substance as the button itself, and added to the back of the button, or be carved or moulded directly onto the back of the button, in which latter case the button is referred to by collectors as having a 'self-shank'.
[[File:Durchsteckknoepfe.jpg|thumb|left|Plastic studs for bedclothes]]
[[File:ShirtStuds.jpg|thumb|left|Shirt studs]]
*'''Stud''' buttons (also push-through buttons or just studs) are composed from an actual button, connected to a second, button-like element by a narrow metal or plastic bar. Pushed through two opposing holes within what is meant to be kept together, the actual button and its counterpart press it together, keeping it joined. Popular examples of such buttons are shirt studs and [[cufflink]]s.
*'''[[Snap fasteners]]''' (also pressure buttons or press studs) are metal (usually brass) round discs pinched through the fabric. They are often found on clothing, in particular on denim pieces such as pants and jackets. They are more securely fastened to the material. As they rely on a metal rivet attached securely to the fabric, pressure buttons are difficult to remove without compromising the fabric's integrity. They are made of two couples: the male stud couple and the female stud couple. Each couple has one front (or top) and rear (or bottom) side (the fabric goes in the middle).
[[File:Chambers 1908 Toggle.png|thumb|alt=Short stick on a cord (attached centrally), with both ends of the stick passed through a separate loop of cord.|Illustration from 1908 Chambers's Twentieth Century. Toggle, n. (naut.) a short bar of wood, tapering from the middle towards each end, placed in an eye at the end of a rope, to keep the end from passing through a loop or knot.]]

*{{anchor|toggle}}'''Toggles''' are stick-like, with a cord attached at the center. They are passed endways through a hole and then rotated sideways.
*'''Magnetic buttons''', as the name implies, are buttons that attach to each other by being magnetic.<ref>{{Cite patent|number=US2397931A|title=Magnetic button|gdate=1946-04-09|invent1=Robert|inventor1-first=Ellis|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US2397931/en}}</ref> The buttons can be attached either by sewing or snapping them into the fabric.

===Fabric buttons===
*'''Covered buttons''' are fabric-covered forms with a separate back piece that secures the fabric over the knob.
*'''Mandarin buttons''' or [[Frog (fastening)|frogs]] are knobs made of intricately knotted strings. Mandarin buttons are a key element in [[Mandarin dress]] (''[[qipao|Qi Pao]]'' and ''[[cheongsam]]'' in [[Chinese language|Chinese]]), where they are closed with loops. Pairs of mandarin buttons worn as [[cuff link]]s are called '''silk knots'''.
*'''Worked or cloth buttons''' are created by [[embroidery|embroidering]] or [[crochet]]ing tight stitches (usually with [[linen]] [[yarn|thread]]) over a knob or ring called a '''form'''. [[Dorset button]]s, handmade from the 17th century to 1750, and Death head buttons are of this type.

===Button sizes===
The size of the button depends on its use. Shirt buttons are generally small, and spaced close together, whereas coat buttons are larger and spaced further apart. Buttons are commonly measured in [[ligne]]s (also called ''[[Line (unit)|lines]]'' and abbreviated ''L''), with 40 lines equal to 1&nbsp;inch.<ref>{{cite web |title=An Easy Guide to Button Measurement and Sizing |url=https://www.sunmeibutton.com/button-measurement/ |date=2019-06-19 |publisher=Sun Mei Button Enterprise Co., Ltd.}}</ref> For example, some standard sizes of buttons are 16 lignes (10.16&nbsp;mm, standard buttons of men's [[shirt]]s) and 32 lignes (20.32&nbsp;mm, typical button on [[suit (clothes)|suit jackets]]).<ref>{{Citation |title=Standard Buttons |date=1990 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-107250-6.50007-3 |work=Brain Browser |pages=86–90 |access-date=2023-11-18 |publisher=Elsevier|doi=10.1016/b978-0-12-107250-6.50007-3 |isbn=978-0-12-107250-6 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==In museums and galleries==
[[File:Peter Carl Fabergé - Buttons - 1966.490 - Cleveland Museum of Art.jpg|thumb|upright|Peter Carl Fabergé buttons in the Cleveland Museum of Art]]
Some [[museums]] and [[art galleries]] hold culturally, historically, politically, and/or artistically significant buttons in their collections. The [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] has many buttons,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/search/?offset=0&limit=15&narrow=&q=button&commit=Search&quality=2&objectnamesearch=&placesearch=&after=&after-adbc=AD&before=&before-adbc=AD&namesearch=&materialsearch=&mnsearch=&locationsearch=&listing_type=image&orderby=0&order=0|title=Your Search Results &#124; Search the Collections &#124; Victoria and Albert Museum|website=collections.vam.ac.uk}}</ref> particularly in its [[Victoria and Albert Museum#Jewellery|jewellery collection]], as does the [[Smithsonian|Smithsonian Institution]].<ref>[http://americanindian.si.edu/searchcollections/results.aspx?objtype=Sewing+Tools+and+Equipment:+Notions&objid=Button American Indian Buttons made with ivory, whalebone and ink] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221042738/https://americanindian.si.edu/searchcollections/results.aspx?objtype=Sewing+Tools+and+Equipment:+Notions&objid=Button |date=2018-12-21 }} at the [[National Museum of the American Indian|Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian]].</ref><ref>[http://www.smithsonianlegacies.si.edu/objectdescription.cfm?ID=50 Domestic button collection, circa 1935], from [[Washington, D.C.]], at the [[National Museum of American History|Smithsonian National Museum of American History]].</ref><ref>[http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=2&cmd=1&id=63886&img=1&pg=1 Uniform buttons] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723123107/http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=2&cmd=1&id=63886&img=1&pg=1 |date=2011-07-23 }} of the [[United States Postal Service]] at 'Arago', the Smithsonian [[National Postal Museum]].</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/button-3704|title=Button &#124; Smithsonian American Art Museum|website=americanart.si.edu}}</ref>

Hammond Turner & Sons, a button-making company in [[Birmingham]], hosts an online museum with an image gallery and historical button-related articles,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hammond-turner.com/|title=Hammond-Turner.com – Online Button Museum|website=hammond-turner.com}}</ref> including an 1852 article on button-making by [[Charles Dickens]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hammond-turner.com/?option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=9|title=Hammond-Turner.com – Online Button Museum|website=hammond-turner.com}}</ref> In the US, large [[button collecting|button collections]] are on public display at the Waterbury Button Museum of [[Waterbury, Connecticut]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mattmuseum.org/|title=Mattatuck Museum &#124; Art Exhibitions & Educational Programs in CT|website=Mattatuck Museum}}</ref> the Keep Homestead Museum of [[Monson, Massachusetts]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://keephomesteadmuseum.org/|title=Keep Homestead Museum|website=keephomesteadmuseum.org}}</ref> which also hosts an extensive button archive,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://keephomesteadmuseum.org/button.htm|title=Keep Homestead Museum - Button Collection|website=keephomesteadmuseum.org|access-date=2020-04-30|archive-date=2020-01-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200119093354/https://keephomesteadmuseum.org/button.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>  and in Gurnee, Illinois, at The Button Room.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thebuttonroom.org/|title=The Button Room|access-date=2012-02-28|archive-date=2020-11-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127110009/http://thebuttonroom.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Gallery==
{{Gallery
|File:ButtonholeClamshells.jpg|Clam shells used for making buttons
|File:Satsuma irises f&b.jpg|Hand-painted [[Satsuma ware]] self-shank button
|File:Merfamily wedgewood cut steel f&b smaller back 2.jpg|[[Wedgwood]] button with [[Matthew Boulton|Boulton]] [[Cut steel jewellery|cut steels]], depicting a [[mermaid]] & family, England, {{Circa|1760}}. Diameter just over 32 mm (1{{fraction|1|4}}")|Livery MET 1983.241.3b d2.jpg|Thread Covered buttons}}

==Positioning==
Classic clothing has the button on the left side for women and on the right side for men. The reasons for this are unclear, but the choice for men's clothing is usually attributed to the need to draw weapons from the left to right; the weapon would then not catch on opening of the clothing. For women's clothing the common reason given is that in times when upper-class women's clothing was quite elaborate, servants were needed for dressing, and the left placement of the buttons was more convenient for right-handed maids.<ref name=ButtLeftAtlantic>{{cite magazine
   |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/the-curious-case-of-men-and-womens-buttons/388844/
   |title=The Curious Case of Men and Women's Buttons|magazine=The Atlantic
   |quote=On the left for the ladies and on the right for the gents
   |author=Megan Garber  |date=March 27, 2015  |access-date=November 6, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine  |magazine=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]
|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-why-mens-and-womens-clothes-button-opposite-sides-1-180957361/#:~:text=Are%20the%20buttons%20on%20your,up%20on%20the%20right%20side.
|title=Here's Why Men's and Women's Clothes Button on Opposite Sides
|author=Danny Lewis  |date=November 23, 2015  |access-date=November 6, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Live Science
|url=https://www.livescience.com/32681-why-are-mens-and-womens-buttons-on-opposite-sides.html
|title=Why Are Men's and Women's Buttons on Opposite Sides?
|author=Benjamin Radford |date=July 6, 2010 |access-date=November 6, 2022}}</ref>  Some Jews [[Rekel#Design|reverse this]], following statements in the Torah that favor dressing first on the right side, or from the Kabbalah, in which the right side denotes goodness.<ref>{{cite book
   |title=The Broken Magen David |page=116
   |author=Chaya Korb Hubner |year=1989 |quote=men button right on left .. Tznius}}</ref><ref name=ButtoKabaFORWARD2019>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Forward]]
|url=https://forward.com/life/419198/why-do-hasidic-men-button-their-shirts-the-wrong-way/
|title=Why Do Hasidic Men Button Their Shirts The Wrong Way?
|quote=Just like women, most Hasidic men button their jackets, shirts, and rekels (long frock coat) with the right side over the left
|author=Danna Lorch |date=February 13, 2019 |access-date=November 6, 2022}}</ref><ref name=ButtoTISRAEL2-17>{{cite news  |newspaper=[[The Times of Israel]]
     |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-ultra-orthodox-fashion-you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-person-by-his-button-holes/
     |title=In ultra-Orthodox fashion, you can tell a lot about a person by his button holdes
     |author=Madison Margolin |date=February 12, 2017 |access-date=November 6, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{citation 
|url=https://jewinthecity.com/2021/06/whats-the-difference-between-hasidic-vs-orthodox-jews/
|title=What's the Difference Between Hasidic vs. Orthodox Jews?
|date=June 14, 2021}}</ref>

==In politics==
The mainly American tradition of politically significant clothing buttons appears to have begun with the [[First inauguration of George Washington|first presidential inauguration]] of [[George Washington]] in 1789. Known to collectors as "Washington Inaugurals",<ref name="GW Inaugurals">{{cite web|url=http://kirkmitchell.tripod.com/CobbGW/index.html |title=J. Harold Cobb's George Washington Inaugural Button Collection |last=Cobb |first=J. Harold |author2=Kirk Mitchell |date=Feb 2, 2005|publisher=Kirk Mitchell|access-date=13 March 2010|location=USA}}</ref> they were made of [[copper]], [[brass]] or [[Sheffield plate]], in large sizes for coats and smaller sizes for breeches.<ref>{{harv|Luscomb|2003|pp=214–218}}</ref> Made in twenty-two patterns and hand-stamped, they are now extremely valuable [[cultural artifact]]s.

Between about 1840 and 1916, clothing buttons were used in American [[political campaign]]s, and still exist in collections today. Initially, these buttons were predominantly made of brass (though horn and rubber buttons with stamped or moulded designs also exist) and had loop shanks. Around 1860 the badge or [[Pin-back button|pin-back]] style of construction, which replaced the shanks with long pins, probably for use on lapels and ties, began to appear.<ref>{{harv|Luscomb|2003|pp=33–34}}</ref>

One common practice that survived until recent times on campaign buttons and badges was to include the image of [[George Washington]] with that of the candidate in question.

Some of the most famous [[campaign button]]s are those made for [[Abraham Lincoln]]. [[Memorial]] buttons commemorating Lincoln's inaugurations and other life events, including his birth and [[Abraham Lincoln#Assassination|death]], were also made, and are also considered highly collectible.<ref>{{harv|Luscomb|2003|pp=119–120}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Koumpounophobia]], fear of buttons

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book|last=Luscomb|first=Sally C.|title=The Collector's Encyclopedia of Buttons|publisher=Schiffer|location=Atglen, PA|year=2003|edition=5th|isbn=0-7643-1815-2|lccn=2003101645}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Bunch|first=Bryan|title=The History of Science and Technology|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|location=Boston, MA|year=2004|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780618221233/page/784 784]|isbn=978-0-618-22123-3|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780618221233/page/784}}
*{{cite book|last=Edwards|first= Nina (2012)| title= On the Button: The Significance of an Ordinary Item | publisher= I. B. Tauris|location=London, UK| year= 2012| isbn=978-1-84885-584-7|id=  {{ASIN|1848855842|country=uk}}}}
*{{cite book|last=Kohler|first=Carl|title=A History of Costume|publisher=Dover|location=USA|year=1963|page=464|isbn=978-0-486-21030-8|url=http://store.doverpublications.com/0486210308.html}}
*{{cite book|last=Osborne|first=Peggy A.|title=Button, button : identification and price guide|publisher=Schiffer|location=Atglen, PA|year=1997|page=167|isbn=0-7643-0082-2 |lccn=92063104}}
*{{cite book|last=Peacock|first=Primrose|others=Rosemary Godsell (illus.)|title=Discovering old buttons|publisher=Shire Publications|location=Aylesbury, UK|year=1978|series=Discovering series; no. 213|page=[https://archive.org/details/discoveringoldbu00peac_0/page/76 76]|isbn=0-85263-445-5|url=https://archive.org/details/discoveringoldbu00peac_0/page/76}}
*{{cite book|last=Wisniewski|first=Debra J.|others=Charley Lynch|title=Antique & collectible buttons : identification & values|publisher=Collector Books|location=Paducah, KY|year=1997|page=168|isbn=0-89145-711-9|lccn=97122120}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Buttons (clothing)}}
*[http://www.onefivenine.info/buttons.html Button-making in Birmingham, England in the 1800s]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100701030355/http://www.buttoncountry.com/patents.htm Scans of original 1830–1940 US patents for buttons & related tools & machinery]
*[http://www.buttonmuseum.org/ Online collection of historical buttons at the Button Museum]

{{Sewing}}
{{Clothing materials and parts}}
{{decorative arts}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Buttons| ]]
[[Category:Fashion accessories]]
[[Category:History of clothing]]
[[Category:Parts of clothing]]
[[Category:Sewing]]
[[Category:Textile closures]]
[[Category:Types of jewellery]]
[[Category:Indian inventions]]