Buttons

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.

Silver filigree buttons like these, called ‘braamknopen’ (blackberry buttons) in Dutch, are one of the commonest types of Dutch button. They are now considered typical of Zeeland, but in the 18th and early 19th century they were worn throughout the Netherlands, and along the North Sea coast in Germany as well. They are still being made today in the same pattern as in the 18th century. These buttons, with their simple back and heavy loop shank, date from the early 19th century.