Buttons and Social History.

It continues to amaze me how such everyday items can throw a light on  social/historical issues.

Examiner (Launceston), 30th May 1904 page 5.

Evening News (Sydney), 28th September 1912 page 14. It seems the people were not impressed with being fobbed off with cheap and nasty buttons.

The term Kaffir is of Arabic origin, and was coined by traveller and writer Leo Africanus around 1527. He described the ‘Cafri’ as an ethnic group from Southern Africa. During colonial times the term was equivalent of ‘negro’. By the mid 20th century it was considered a racial slur.

On a lighter note …

Voice (Hobart), 29th August 1953 page 1.