History of. The Button

A lot of guys struggle with the fascination some of us have with the garment button. There is a story to be told on the back of every button. Manufacture, era, etc...

This site is a awesome place to learn on the evolution of the button. It's easy to read and very educational.

Enjoy!

http://www.landsend.com/cd/fp/help/0,,1_36877_36882_37075_,00.html

Here is just one paragraph that I found very fascinating:

How gilt is applied.

The first wonderfully sparkly gilt buttons were made in Birmingham between 1797 and 1800. They were elegant, yet affordable. People took to them immediately, and they became the height of fashion. Even the Americans began making gilt buttons by 1810, after stealing the gilding secret from the British!

Actually, the process was a fairly simple one. Five grains of gold per gross (144) of buttons was added to a mixture of mercury, then brushed on the brass buttons, which were then cooked in a furnace. Buttons could be double gilt, triple gilt, and so on, depending on the number of grains or number of brushings used.

The new gilt buttons were the vanguard of a "golden age" of metal buttonmaking that flourished in the first half of the 19th century, and produced buttons that haven't been equaled to this day. Sporting buttons for the gent, military buttons for the soldier, even livery buttons for the household servant were all beautifully crafted.