Button
19th century
Classification
costume & accessories
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Accession Number
1931-59-157
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
### 19th-Century Button Nestled in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection costume and accessories, this unassuming 19th-century offers a glimpse into everyday American life. Dated to the 1800s and credited to an unknown maker, it exemplifies the small, functional objects that shaped personal style during a transformative era. Though details like its exact medium remain under study—marked as "Research in Progressits presence in the museum highlights how even humble items can carry artistic and cultural weight. In the 19th century, buttons evolved from simple fasteners to decorative ...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...