19th February 2024

Tailor’s Button

Chas Lane & Co. Melbourne

The Home: An Australian Quarterly, 1st December 1924 page 53.

Charles James Lane had worked for the Mutual Store before running his own business, at first in Collins Street then Elizabeth Street. He formed the company of Charles Lane & Co in 1910 and served as chairman of the Master tailors’ Association. He may well have been a master tailor, but he was not a master businessman, which came out when he sued his bank over a refused promissory note. He was heavily overdrawn with the bank who were going to sell his assets to recover the debt.  He died in 1925 aged 57 years.The following year the business was bought by Marcus Clark (Victoria) Ltd. His son, also called Charles James Lane,  had been a partner in his father’s firm. He became a board member of both Craig, Williamson P/L and Marcus Clark (Vic) Ltd.

News (Adelaide), 5th June 1929 page 11.The store was replaced, incongruously, by a fish shop!

The Herald (Melbourne), 9th July 1930 page 13.

He was a real estate company director who died suddenly, aged 49 years, in 1954. He was remembered as a talented athlete and golfer.

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18th February 2024

Tailor’s Buttons

John Martin & Co. Ltd.

This department store became a limited liability company in 1889, the year Mr Martin died, dating this button from that time until the last store was closed in 1988. See http://www.austbuttonhistory.com/branded-buttons/branded-buttons-department-store-buttons-h-z/.

The Illustrated Adelaide News, 1st November 1878 page 3. John Martin’s grew from an earlier partnership.

Frearson’s Monthly Illustrated Adelaide News, 16th October 1880 page 20.

The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide), 26th November 1889, page 3.

The store adopted the “early closing” time of 6pm in 1891. They had an athletics club, a football team, a cricket team and a literary club. In 1898 the store had undergone significant extension. it comprise three floor, the basement dubbed “the magic cave” featuring a painting of a waterfall. It was devoted to toys for the Christmas season, and “Santa Claus” was in attendance:

South Australian Register (Adelaide), 15th December 1898 page 6. Guns for children guaranteed to kill birds and cats … a thousand shots… WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

State Library SA # PRG 631/2/1141. 1900. A fire damaged the 3 storey section to the left in 1901, necessitating a rebuild.

In 1933 “Jonnies” (or “the Big Store”) held their first Christmas pageant, which became a beloved institution.

The Advertiser (Adelaide), 16th November 1933 page 17.

During the 1960s suburban branches were opened. Whilst in Melbourne you may be described as having “more front than Myers”, in South Australia you have “more front than John Martin’s”.

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16th February 2024

Beutron Sample Card c. 1950

Wish it was mine.

Here are some other examples of this button without an extra ‘mount’, and one with a fancy notched mount.

Embassy Pearls c.late 1950s

This example is much larger, at 12cm from top edge to point, than the 2 examples in my collection which measure 9.5 cm.

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15th February 2024

I’ve been doing it wrong…

The Argus (Melbourne), 15th September 1953 page 21.

“Needy Natives?”

The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), 4th September 1954 page 9.

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14th February 2024

Going out for a romantic Valentine’s Day date?

Try these fashions from 1971; made with Beutron’s ” Unique invisible zippers”.

The Australian Women’s Weekly, 17th February 1971 page 1 supplement.

Or perhaps not.

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13th February 2024

A Lean Time for this Collector

I’ve had very little luck in adding to my collection of late. Am I a victim of my own success? Have I bought so many Australian buttons that there is less to tempt me? Here are some new finds:

Late 1950s-1970s

1970s

Mid 1960s

Early 1970s

However, my time has not been wasted. I have been re-scanning and re-photographing much of my collection as I now have better equipment. The difference in the quality of the scans of vintage advertising of Beutron and Beauclaire buttons is worth another look.

Enjoy!

For any contributions to this blog, please use the Contact page. I am happy to research and share your own treasures.

10th February 2024

Knit one, purl two ..

Probably this was originally filled with chocolates. I found a reference to “Rowntree’s Knitting”  boxed chocolates in 1922.  These boxes were made by Continental Plastics P/L , Melbourne.

Some knitting “aids”.

A combined needle gauge and row counter.

More needle gauges. I thought the “crossed foxes” were kangaroos!

Another row counter. this one was meant to be slipped onto a finger. Convenient?

I started to knit some socks once …

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9th February 2024

Buckles: 1950s-1990s

A Curiosity

Beauclaire Buttons on a Buckle Card

I have never seen  1950s Beauclaire buttons on this square card before. Was it a mistake? A special order?

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8th February 2024

Darning Thread

Made in England

Love the colours: vanilla, light shadow, elephant and arabian. Filosheen was originally advertised in Australian newsprint as Clark’s Filosheen. However, Coats and Clark’s had merged in 1896, so at some stage in the 1950s the products were just rebranded.

A C No Darn mending fan, as advertised in 1944.

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7th February 2024

Haberdashery

This lot came with a card of buttons I desired.

Newey’s

I didn’t know they made snap fasteners in ‘various colours’. They were advertised in 1951-2.  The hook and eye set is a ‘war time pack’: possibly smaller than previously.

The Daily News (Perth), 16th April 1917 page 6.

3 sizes of snaps.

The Courier-Mail (Brisbane), 14th August 1947 page 8.

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