Button

Unknown Artist

1770–1885

Button by Unknown Artist

Medium

[no medium available]

Classification

Button

Culture

American or European

Department

Costume Institute

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

From the Hanna S. Kohn Collection, 1951

Accession Number

51.47.642–.666

Tags

ProfilesWomen

Art Historical Context

This delicate "Button" from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume, dated between 1770 and 1885, offers a glimpse into the refined world of American or European fashion accessories. by an unknown artist, exemplifies how everyday objects like buttons became canvases for artistry, featuring intricate profiles of women—a motif echoing the neoclassical revival that celebrated classical antiquity and feminine ideals during the late Enlightenment and Victorian eras. In an age when buttons adorned everything from gentlemen's waistcoats to ladies' gowns, such pieces highlighted personal style and s...

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