Coat button
Label Text
In the 1790s, a taste for large, luminescent disks made of exotic materials such as shell or stone superseded the earlier fashion for modest-sized buttons of metal or fabric. Such buttons were employed on fashionable outerwear for women, including great coats and riding habits, as well as men's coats. This set of five pink conch shell buttons was among a larger set owned by George or Martha Washington. The expensive fasteners were later given to friends and family as relics of the venerable couple.
Read MoreRead Less
Datec. 1789-1797
Medium/TechniqueConch shell, metal
DimensionsOverall: 1/2 in. x 1 3/8 in. (1.27 cm x 3.51 cm)
Other (central boss): 3/16 in. x 3/16 in. (0.5 cm x 0.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph G. Newman, 1984
Object numberW-2995/D
DescriptionPink conch shell button with japanned metal boss at center; smooth pink and white surface of the shell on obverse; dull white surface of the shell on reverse, except in areas where the dull white has been carved away to expose the pink surface; loop shank of copper alloy metal.Published ReferencesWilliam Armstrong, "Some New Washington Relics, I. From the Collection of Mrs. B. W. Kennon," The Century Magazine XL: 1 (May 1890): 21-22.
Agnes Peter Mott, "List of the Peter Collection," 1937, 1.
Britannia Wellington Peter Kennon's Notebook, 1899, 19.
Mount Vernon's object research is ongoing and information about this object is subject to change. For information on image use and reproductions, click here.
There are no works to discover for this record.