🪡Thread for late 19th-early 20th C. button identification, emphasis on diff. synthetics and organics. Dates for US contexts. #archaeology#button#materialculture
1/?
2/? HARD RUBBER
Sturdy synthetic. Generally has Goodyear backstamp; less commonly Novelty Rubber Co. or unmarked. Smells like rubber when heated. Molded.
Color: matte black; rarely brown. Opaque.
Date: post-1851.
3/?
CELLULOID
V. light synthetic. “Bubble” buttons w/ thin dome of celluloid attached to a metal back. Solid celluloid buttons also produced. Molded or carved.
Color: All colors, imitation ivory common. Translucent to opaque.
Date: ca. late 19th-1930s.
4/? CELLULOID cont'd
Very prone to decay, cracking, discoloration.
Need air--Do not store in closed containers—will self-destruct. Very flammable. Smells of turpentine/tree sap/mothballs when heated.
5/? CASEIN (Galalith)
Plastic made from milk protein and other ingredients. Lightweight. Often nibbled by insects. Under hot water or flame will smell like rotten milk/wet dog/bad. Molded.
Color: dyed in almost any color, often bright
Date: ca. 1900- present
6/? PHENOLIC RESIN (Bakelite)
Sturdy synthetic. Heat resistant. When heated will smell like formeldyhyde/Lysol. Molded or carved.
Color: true Bakelite is only black/dark brown. Catalin, a later phenolic resin came in wide variety of colors. Trans. to opaque.
Date: ca 1910-1960
7/? NATURAL HORN
Light, may be confused with synthetics. Often nibbled by insects. Under heat will smell like burning hair. Carved or molded, sometimes with stamped/impressed designs.
Color: light brown to black; translucent to opaque; sometimes variegated
Date: 1600-
8/? “COMPOSITION”
Synthetic buttons made from a variety of materials. May glitter. Molded
Color: A variety of ground colors are possible, generally dark gray to black. Opaque. May include brightly colored marbling/splotches.
Date: early 20th c.
9/? VEGETABLE IVORY (Corozo or Tagua nut)
Nut with ivory-like grain. Utilitarian as well as fancy. When heated, has a nutty/woody smell. Carved.
Color: Natural nut is ivory-colored. Often dyed, may be printed. Typically matte. Opaque.
Date: early 20th c.
10/? PORCELAIN (Prosser molded)
Porcelain sew-thru buttons. Molded, with visible dimples on back from molding process.
Color: White most common, but many colors possible. Some buttons have painted or printed designs, those with small patterns known as "calico."
Date: post 1840
11/ This covers most of the tricky ones, but there are many more, including natural materials like wood, shell, and bone, not to mention glass, metal and combos thereof. Check out @DAACSORG for guide to earlier buttons. What else would you like to see?
12/ To heat test your buttons, run briefly under v. hot water, or heat tip of pin over flame and poke in inconspicuous spot like inside hole or along back. Quickly sniff.
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@MuseumLiverpool 1/13
The coarse earthenware pottery made in Liverpool during 18th C. looks a lot like pottery made elsewhere, but recent ID via elemental analysis shows that it reached plantations across the Atlantic, used for sugar refining and in the home.
Woodcut 1574 Jost Amman #ArchMol21
@MuseumLiverpool 2/13
The abundant #pottery clay in the region led to a strong potting industry around Liverpool in the post-Medieval period, in places like Prescot and Rainford. Excavations of kiln sites show large quantities of black and brown-glazed earthenwares #ArchMol21
@MuseumLiverpool 3/13
In exchange for tobacco, sugar, and other products arriving from plantations in the Americas, merchants would ship all sorts of cargo out of Liverpool. This included pottery like pans, mugs, and sugarwares. #ArchMol21