Martha Sleeper Clown

Shakespeare said that "all the world loves a clown." And on that note, here's my highly cherished Martha Sleeper clown button in creamed corn Bakelite with painted details. This little guy has seen better days, but I can't complain about some dingy spots and lost paint on a button that goes back to the 1940's. At any rate, let's talk about Martha Sleeper. A radiant film actress in the 1920's and 30's, Martha's Hollywood heydays brought her stardom in films such as Midnight Mary (1933) and Four Days' Wonder (1936). Tired of not getting the roles she wanted, Martha sought parts in Broadway shows and reaped rave reviews in plays such as Pygmalian and The Cream in the Well. As a hobby, Martha had been creating her own jewelry for years. Friends of the actress encouraged her to pursue a business position in the "gadget jewelry" trend that was a budding fad at the end of the Great Depression. Choosing a new career path, Martha created hundreds of prototypes of her little brooches, pendants, pins and buttons in the shapes of colorful animals, fruits, Ubangi natives, matches, inkwells, insects, pencils and flags. She molded many of these prototypes out of chewing gum and presented them to a manufacturer who invested in a full line of Martha's charms. By the 1940's, she was less an actress than a businesswoman with a thriving fashion empire and a celebrated brand in her very own name. Martha Sleeper's trinkets popped up in department stores all over the country amid a wave of popularity. The lapels of stylish ladies were whimsically decorated with Martha's badges. Blouses sported quirky treasures in the shapes of clocks and peacocks. Buttons were available, not only as clowns, but as horses and lollipops. Last year (on July 4th) I posted a Martha Sleeper button in the shape of an American Flag. Not all of Martha's keepsake jewelry was constructed out of Bakelite, but her most valuable pieces are made of the choice plastic. Gone are the dime-store prices of yesteryear when these baubles lined the counters at Woolworth's and Gimbels for mere peanuts. At auction today, these tarnished ornaments sell for hundreds and thousands of dollars. I think every collector of Bakelite ought to splurge on at least one of Martha's creations. I own three of her buttons and they're unquestionably unique. To hold an original Martha Sleeper design is to hold a curious piece of history. No clowning.

-Sherbert McGee