Button

Men throughout Europe wore silver buttons with their traditional costume in the 19th century. Silver filigree buttons had been synonymous with rural dress since at least the 16th century. Most European cultures disapproved of male jewellery, but buttons allowed men to show off their wealth and status. They wore them in extravagant numbers, on sleeves and trousers as well as jackets and waistcoats.

Buttons were rarely sewn directly on to the clothing. In the north of Europe people fastened them to their costume with a strip of leather, which ran through the button loops inside the garment. In the south, they used T-shaped toggles permanently attached to the button.

Conical toggle buttons like these were worn by men, on jackets and waistcoats. They are now considered typical of Malta, but in the late 18th and early 19th century may have been worn in southern Italy as well. This button, with its rounded front decorated with filigree rosettes, is the most characteristic type of Maltese button. It has Maltese marks from the early 19th century. It was bought for nine shillings (for a set of six) at the International Exhibition, London, 1872.