Happy Halloween! It's always fun choosing a holiday button and this oddity was a total no-brainer. One of the largest buttons in my collection, I found this button at an antique shop many years ago on a trip to Quebec City, Canada. Made in the 1930s, it's comprised of cupped orange Bakelite with a jagged-cut perimeter. Atop the orange bottom layer, the button holds a carved brown section that resembles a wooden leaf, though it also tested positive for Bakelite. It's not a spooky button, but it's definitely an amazing weirdo. Perhaps from a vintage Halloween costume?
Warmest ghoulish delights,
-Sherbert McGee
Did you hear about the butterfly that flew toward my heart before it fluttered over a flowerpot and a carrot while the yellow monkey watched? These are pressed figure buttons from the 1930's and I have quite a collection, which I'll be posting next month (for a full week) after Thanksgiving. Diverse, colorful, animated and highly collectible, these light buttons are where Bakelite gets fun and frisky. Stay tuned for plenty more.
-Sherbert McGee
ENCORE: Last week I posted a daily showcase of Bakelite buttons married to other types of plastic, i.e. celluloid and casein. Here's a lovely button that didn't make it into last week's lineup and that I've saved for a special encore posting. At a glance, this might look like a black slab of Bakelite hovering on a transparent dish. However, the transparent dish is actually part of the button. It's lucite, a clear and colorless plastic that serves as a base for this unique discovery. The elegant black section—sashed in gold—did test positive for Bakelite. Circa 1940.
-Sherbert McGee
Finalizing this week of buttons made of Bakelite combined with other forms of plastic, here's the grand showstopper. A large ball button in dark green Bakelite, the circumference has been wrapped eight times in a yellow, rubberized wire material. Tightly wound, this button remains in superb condition for what could've easily come unstrung since its construction in the 1940's.
To better depict this special find, I'm adding a second photo of me holding this button with the shank visibly poking through the pliable strands. And that's a wrap!
Visit Doreen's online store:
BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
No, you are not dreaming. This incredible button actually exists. I've owned this glimmering baby for about a year now and I'm still starstruck by such an incredible find. Another button I purchased from my friend, Doreen. She obtained this stunning beauty somewhere on her travels and what a royal godsend! I'm amazed that it's actually come into my possession. The transparent segments of the button are apple juice Bakelite infused with glitter. The bright yellow, ringed section did not test positive for Bakelite because it's casein—another type of early plastic that's often referred to by its commercial name, Galalith (Greek for milkstone). Famed fashion designer, Coco Chanel, was a known proponent of using Galalith in her buttons and jewelry designs; and I've yet to confirm this, but I highly suspect that this might be an early Chanel button with the yellow rings providing a strong semblance to the Chanel logo that still appears on the brand's product lines to this day. Otherwise, the button may have been designed by Jakob Bengel or Auguste Bonaz who both experimented with Galalith and avant-garde/art deco styles between 1924 and 1939. In my ongoing research I've studied the catalogued pieces created by these trendsetters and in my opinion their uniquely detailed work also has the qualities of this button. Large in size and likely patterned for a coat, this outstanding discovery is one of my all-time favorite fashion remnants—likely going back to around 1930. In vogue then and still a wildly chic reminder of a glamorous olden day.
Visit Doreen's online store:
BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC
-Sherbert McGee
