Button
19th century
Classification
costume & accessories
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-59-275-a
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection costume and accessories, this unassuming 19th-century offers a glimpse into everyday elegance of the Victorian era. Donated as a gift from collectors Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt, for their contributions to design history, it exemplifies the small yet significant objects that shaped personal style during a time of rapid industrialization and evolving fashion trends. Buttons like this one were more than fasteners—they were canvases for creativity, adorning garments from dainty dresses to tailored coats. Though the artist and medium remain...
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...