4th January 2021

Ceramic Buttons

I have always wondered at ceramic buttons. Surely they can’t wash and wear well, unless you do it by hand? Even then, surely some would loose or chip their glaze?  From the newspapers, these appear to have been mainly used on clothes such as coats that were rarely washed or dry cleaned. Perhaps they had to be removed before cleaning? What a bother!

The Sun (Sydney), 13th March 1946 page 12. She appears to be wearing platform shoes and ‘power shoulders’ like in the 1980s.

The Sydney Morning Herald, 21st October 1947 page 5.

The Daily Telegraph (Sydney), 6th May 1948 page 13.

The Age (Melbourne), 17th March 1949 page 7.

 Perhaps the unknown Melbourne firm featured on  the ‘mysteries page’ made these buttons for well-to-do Melbourne ladies shopping at the exclusive George’s. See  http://www.austbuttonhistory.com/mysteries-please-help/ During the 1940s -1950s, starved of novelty and fashion during the war, women looked to buttons to make impact on the severe tailoring of the time. With shortages of many other materials, brightly coloured ceramic and glass buttons were in vogue.

Commenting on were fashionable accessories could be found in London …

The Age (Melbourne), 12th October 1949 page 5. Note that most Bimini buttons were made of glass, not ceramic.