Best Friends

Last year I posted a couple of dog buttons, similar to this pair, but these are the carved version whereas the ones I posted before are devoid of the etched details that accentuate the feet, tails and ears. Harking back to the 1930's or earlier, I imagine these novelty buttons worked wonders on somebody's canine-themed party dress. In chocolate Bakelite, the brown dog is doing what dogs do with his nose at the derriere of the cream-colored pooch (also Bakelite). Though they bear metal shanks at the back for obvious buttoning purposes, these fashion statements are less buttons than small works of plastic sculpture that went hand in hand with the trend of trinket jewelry that was all the rage during the 1920's, 30's and 40's. With that said, if you go antiquing and you find dog buttons like these, brace yourself for a high price (doggone it!). They are never inexpensive. What else can I say? Aside from button collecting, I'm a dog-owner with two "best friends" named Fritz and Zeus. Pictured here, Fritz is the brown master of the house while Zeus is the submissive buffoon. That's all for today's unveiling. Stay tuned for more Bakelite dog buttons tomorrow. 

-Sherbert McGee