What is it about the past that entices us to LOVE vintage or
antique artifacts? Is it the quality of
craftsmanship, the use of beautiful materials not so easily accessible or
available today, an art form that defines the culture of days gone by, or a
link to historical events that continue to fascinate us?
When you think about some of our very own grandmothers or
grandfathers actually growing up in the late 1800’s, even getting married
before the turn of that century, it doesn’t seem so long ago. My grandmother raised me, and she was born in
1882, married in 1899. She was 72 when
she opened her arms to my brother and me as little children in the 1950’s and
we moved in with her.
Today we see the pictures of our ancestors and their
clothing so “old,” dresses so long, homes so small, ladies wearing aprons and
gentlemen wearing overalls and hats or caps, all in a day’s work. They had no computers, not even a
typewriter. They had no refrigerators or
electric or gas stoves. Certainly no
microwaves or hair dryers. Grandma and I
used to shovel coal out of the “coal room” in the basement with a big wide
shovel, scooping it into the furnace the next room over. When our coal room was empty, she would order
more, and the coal truck would drive over and dump a lot more coal out of the
truck, down a conveyor belt, through a small window at the top of the coal room
window.
Like most grandmas, mine had a sewing machine drawer full of
buttons. I remember sitting on the
dining room floor at about age 7 and lining the buttons up on the brown print
carpet that was designed in one-foot-wide squares. My buttons touched each other all across the
square lines all over the dining room.
When anyone had to walk from the kitchen to the living room, or vice
versa, they had to tip-toe so as to not mess up my button work of art. Today, I still treasure Grandma’s very
buttons, the plain celluloids, lucites, enamels, realistics, plastics,
Bakelites, brass, etc. Except now I know
what they are. And they carry with them
the popular styles and materials of the day.
Who would have guessed that when I would be a grandma, not
only would I treasure the rare 16x20 portraits of Grandma and Grandpa Swihart
on our guest room wall, plus one taken of Grandma holding her doll at age 8,
taken in 1890, but I would also still treasure her buttons and several other
antiques that had belonged to her. My
love of buttons from an early age led to sporadic collecting as a young wife and
mother, and then cascaded into my life at full speed ahead after my children
were grown and away at college. It was
only then that I learned of button clubs, button dealers, state and national
button societies, and the many wonderful resources available for button
collectors! Oh, and the greatest benefit
of all was the many new friends who had the same passionate interest in buttons
that I had!
A great love for the artistic and historical significance of
buttons grew over the years as I began to collect buttons of jaw-dropping
beauty. They bring with them the way
people visualized beauty and felt the joy of creating that beauty, using only
the best materials.
Today I’m celebrating the joy of life and love of family and
friends with good health and God as an integral part of our lives, and
complementing that joy and love one step further by sharing this gorgeous
button, hand painted on ivory, signed (on her right shoulder), set in silver,
late 1700’s or early 1800’s. As you take
in the sheer beauty of this magnificent button, think about those days right
around the French Revolution and other cultural and political events. Imagine the artist. Who was he or she? Did he have a family? Where did he live? How many children did he have, if any? Was he well?
How long did he live? What other
great works of art did he create? Did he
have a sense of humor? Was he outgoing
or a quiet person? What were his loves
in life? Or his challenges? Whoever he was, did he know he was creating a
piece of art that would go down in history and bring great joy to many people
for centuries to come? What a legacy!
