Fun Holidays - Hurray for Buttons Day

Numismatists collect coins and banknotes, philatelists - stamps, antique dealers - antique furniture, books and household items. People who are interested in collecting uniform and simple buttons, the history of their appearance and manufacture, and compiling works of art from them are called philobutonists. In private collections there are ancient specimens, clasps of regular or original shape, made of bone, metal, wood and plastic. Incredibly beautiful panels and installations are made from buttons. The most famous works are the paintings and sculptures of Augusto Esquivel. Using clasps of various shapes and colors, the Argentine artist “painted” portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Salvador Dali, and recreated the famous “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci. The Upright Piano is considered a real masterpiece of the master - a floating piano weighing 20 kg, made from 30 thousand pieces of white and black buttons strung on a fishing line. The publishers of Hobbies Magazine first started talking about philobutonism, which provided an opportunity for collectors to talk about their hobbies and share their achievements. Readers of the magazine showed off buttons that they had collected for years, not realizing the existence of a large number of like-minded people. In 1938, Hobbies Magazine organized an exhibition in Chicago in which clasp collectors took part. In the same year, the National Button Society was founded, which today has more than 3 thousand members living in different countries of the world. On the initiative of collectors, a funny holiday was established - “Hurray for Buttons” Day, celebrated annually on May 9. At different periods of human history, people used belts, buttonholes, cords and other types of fasteners for clothes and shoes. The oldest button is considered to be in the shape of a seashell, found in the Indus River Valley. According to scientists, its age is 7 thousand years. Until the 13th century. buttons were practically not used for utilitarian purposes - they served as decoration for men's clothing. Products made of silver and gold were sewn onto the capes of nobles and kings. In the Middle Ages in Germany, buttons began to be used as fasteners for clothing. They also served as identification marks that indicated belonging to a certain class, the presence of a military rank or a position in the public service. Buttons on women's clothing are located on the left, and on men's clothing they are on the right for a reason. Upper-class ladies were helped into dressing by servants. The mirrored buttons made it easier to fasten. This is how the division into “male” and “female” sides in clothing appeared. The tradition existed for centuries before the advent of unisex fashion. Manufactories for the production of buttons from animal bones and horns, tin and lead with ears and holes appeared in the middle of the 18th century. 80 years later, with the help of blank dies, this type of fastener began to be produced on an industrial scale. The British and French used porcelain, glass and fabric to produce buttons, the Japanese used hand-finished ceramics. Today, as thousands of years ago, the leg fastener, with two or four holes, is used to connect elements of clothing, giving it uniqueness due to its unusual design. Modern industry produces buttons of varying load ratings and a variety of materials, including wood, bone, metal and plastic. Acrylic paints, leather and fabric are used to decorate the fasteners. Ancient specimens can now be seen in national museums in the USA and Great Britain. The fun “Hurray for Buttons” Day offers a fun way to learn about the history of buttons, explore collectibles from private collections, and visit themed exhibitions.