Button

In Sweden, as throughout most of Europe in the 19th century, silver buttons made to wear with traditional costume were mainly worn by men. Most European cultures disapproved of male jewellery, but buttons allowed men to show off their wealth and status. Where buttons were part of women's traditional costume, they tended to be larger and even more extravagant than those worn by men.

This button is a woman's button. Its shape and function both date back to the Middle Ages, when buttons like this were worn as decoration on the sleeves and shoulders of formal dress.