Button
Unknown Artist
1770–1885
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
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...