Buttonhooks

All Buttoned Up:

Antique & Vintage Buttonhooks

From the 1860s to just after the turn of the last century, there was not a lady, gentleman, or child who could easily get dressed without a simple gadget called a buttonhook. Shoes had up to twenty-six buttons each, gloves up to twenty-four buttons each, men's jackets had up to twenty-one buttons, and ladies' dresses, sometimes 100 or more. Spats, undergarments of many types, coats, and a variety of other fashionable items also had an abundance of buttons. Would you want to fasten all those buttons by hand, day in and day out? Probably not, and neither did our ancestors!
Generally, buttonhooks were made to look like small, curving hooks with handles three to eight inches long, like those pictured here. However, in the tradition of "building a better mousetrap," there were inevitably variations to this basic design. Some buttonhooks had a hoop-like shape that narrowed at one end, replacing the traditional hook. Some had little loops on the handle so they could be hung from a housewife's chatelaine (a belt or necklace that carried her necessities--like keys and scissors). Others had tiny handles, one to two-and-a-half inches long, for use by children or for fastening ladies' gloves. Still others had handles over a foot long, and were nicknamed "Fat Lady Hooks" because--supposedly--the obese and lazy used them to avoid bending down to button their shoes. (A little thought on this subject reveals that such buttonhooks were also be immensely helpful for most women, who were corseted and couldn't easily bend over.)

      Since buttonhooks were a necessity of life for everyone, materials accessible to every class of society were used in making them, including gold, silver, silver plate, brass, iron, bone, ivory, mother-of-pearl, horn, wood, rubber, and celluloid. The middle and upper classes frequently purchased their buttonhooks as part of a dresser-, boudoir-, manicure-, shaving- or traveling-set. Many people also received buttonhooks as promotional giveaways when they purchased new shoes; these can still be identified today by the advertising messages imprinted on their handles.
      Buttonhooks could also be purchased individually, usually in good- to fine-quality materials. In Bloomingdale's 1886 catalog, over two dozen types of buttonhooks could be purchased individually. One, made of undecorated celluloid (claiming to be much prettier and more durable than horn or rubber), could be purchased for 18 cents; the other available hooks were made of wood and bone, and sold for 1 cent to 50 cents a piece, depending on length. Today, a collector might pay $20-30 for any of these more common buttonhooks.
     In the Sears 1909 catalog, only two buttonhooks were offered individually. This decrease in availability was most likely due to the fact that lace-up shoes were now popular, and clothing in general was becoming more simplified. These Sears buttonhooks, however, were of finer quality, more decorative (like those shown above), and made of sterling silver. They sold for 52 cents and 60 cents; today, a collector might pay $40-100 for similar buttonhooks.
      If you're wondering where to find buttonhooks in today's world, try typing in the keyword "buttonhook" on eBay, but don't overlook your local antique stores, either. Locally, you can often find buttonhooks mixed in with the silverware, jewelry, or small tools.
      Many antique clothing collectors find buttonhooks a lifesaver if they display garments--or if they wear accurate reproductions. Buttonhooks are also a thoughtful gift for a bride whose gown has many buttons, or for friends who have arthritis. To use a buttonhook, first insert the hook of the gadget through the buttonhole. Place the hook around the shank of the button (or the thread where the button is attached to the fabric). Turn the hook handle slightly and pull the button up through the buttonhole, securing the closure. Voila!

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04/21/2006