Button Up!

QUESTION: I love to linger at the cases of “smalls” at flea markets and antique shows. In fact, that’s where I first spotted an unusual little item made of sterling silver that looked as if it might have been used as a serving utensil on a Victorian table. To my surprise, the dealer said that it was a buttonhook. We don’t see these at all today, but back in the latter part of the 19th century, they were as common as shoelaces are today. Needless to say, I bought it and ever since have been on the lookout for others. So far, I’ve only found two. What can you tell me about buttonhooks and where might I be likely to find them?

ANSWER: Buttonhooks do appear from time to time at garage sales, flea markets, and antique shows. But you have to know what you’re looking for and have the patience to search for them. They’re one of those items that may be best found on the Internet where you can search specifically for them. But before you start your search, why not learn a bit about them?

Although unknown now by most people, back in the 1890s buttonhooks were a common household tool. The earliest known reference to the them dates to 1611.

In a way, buttonhooks resemble crochet hooks with handles that come in various sizes, shapes, colors and designs. They’ve been made from abalone, agate, antler, bone, brass, copper, glass, gold, gold-plate, gutta-percha, hard rubber, horn, ivory, leather, mother-of-pearl, pewter, plastic, porcelain, silver plate, sterling, tortoiseshell, wood, celluloid, bakelite and pot metal.


Buttonhooks became popular in the 1860s for buttoning shoes which commonly had between two and 26 buttons, and by 1875 "buttonhook" was a household word with almost every child having his or her very own.



The button-up shoes of the time were generally constructed of leather or serge with hand-sewn buttonholes. The buttons them-selves were frequently sewn on with heavy twisted thread which offered flexibility when sing the hook to pull them through the holes. The button-up styles lost popularity during World War I when lace-up shoes and boots became available for men and shorter, open-styled shoes for women appeared in stores.

Children's leggins or gaiters as they were often referred to were very popular in the early 1900s. Constructed of leather or cloth, the apparel rose to the child's knee or above and buttoned the full length of the garment. Needless to say, mothers loved  buttonhooks saved them time and effort.

Long gloves were another often seen accessory during this time and the number of buttons varied with the style with some exceeding 20 buttons per glove. Since many styles were designed to fit tightly on the arm, it often took 30 minutes to button them up. Many of the early buttonhooks were actually glove hooks which were often more decorative in design but not as sturdy.

Detachable collars first appeared in 1819 so that instead of changing shirts, one could simply switch collars and use the same shirt for several days. The collars, made of starched linen, rubber or celluloid, had buttonholes in the front and back attached by studs.

 Buttonhooks came in a variety of designs. One common design was a handle similar in shape to a knife handle into which a steel hook on a long slender shaft was inserted. To use the implement on a shoe, a person grasped the handle, then inserted the steel hook through the eyelet, grasping the button and pulling it through. Unfortunately, aggressive use of the buttonhook often did more harm than good as it could tear the buttonhole or pull out the button.

They were about the size of a fork although they ranged in size from less than an inch to around 2 feet long. Many had a small ring on the handle end, so a lady could attach it to her chatelaine at her belt or wear it on a necklace. Some of the folding glove hooks also had rings and could be attached to a watch chain as a fob.

Fine hotels placed plain buttonhooks in their rooms for their guests to use. Dresser sets often included plastic or celluloid hooks.

Generally, buttonhooks were in fashion from around 1880 to 1915. The Victorian love of invention led to numerous buttonhook patents and attempts to combine the buttonhook with other useful objects such as the curling iron, can opener, tobacco cutter, nail file, shoe horn, scissors, and pen knife. Folding and retractable buttonhooks were available. Most inexpensive folding ones were made of steel.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Article section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the other 18,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about western antiques in the special 2019 Spring Edition, "Down to the Sea in Ships," online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques & More Collection on Facebook.