During the Victorian era interest in collecting grew rapidly as the standard of living rose along with mass production and improved transportation. It became easier to travel and this meant that a small souvenir might be brought back from a trip. Expositions of new products became popular and there was a constant hunt for new and improved items, and a demand for a full range of choices. The Victorians not only enjoyed collecting, but they proudly displayed their purchases - we all are familiar with the "what not" shelf and its many knick knacks. The studious displayed scientific collections - rocks, fossils, butterflies. The wealthy collected souvenirs from ancient cultures. And many boasted a collection of picture postcards, stereoviews, and prints - all brought out to impress the visitor.
Display was crucial, since an important component of collecting for the Victorians was to be able to impress others with their taste and learning. Objects acquired a social significance of their own as rigid Victorian social codes were extended to the realm of collecting and display. Housekeeping manuals of the time gave specific instructions for the proper display of a wide variety of items. In 1882, Oscar Wilde went on an American lecture tour to advise on home decoration down to the smallest detail, including the correct height for hanging pictures. In his famous work
In The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) the central character is a collector whose every mood is played against his luxurious surroundings; in one scene he studies the bill for an antique silver toilet set and remarks that “we live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities.”
Displaying a collection today
Today, one thing to consider from an aesthetic point of view is that it can be overwhelming for someone who does not share your passion for a collection to see a display of hundreds (or even thousands) of items assembled together in one room. Keeping this in mind, you may want to highlight selected items or themes from your collection and store the balance. Group your collections in clearly defined areas to retain their impact within the interior decor. If you have tall bookshelves, use one or two of the shelves to display a small collection. Circa 1915 book cabinets with glass doors provide excellent display opportunities. Old store displays can often be found at antique shows, and these can create effective displays.
The Buttonhook Society mounts yearly exhibitions of buttonhooks. In the case of an implement such as the buttonhook it is important to provide clear explanations as to the buttonhook's origins and use since most visitors will not recall using or seeing the tool in their lifetime. Most showcase displays will include a vintage buttoned boot, a lady's glove with many buttons, some early advertising pieces such as shoe store trade cards, and other related items.
Society exhibitions
The Society mounts yearly exhibitions of buttonhooks. Because most visitors will never have seen the tool in use, a good display explains the buttonhook’s origins and purpose, and sets pieces alongside a vintage buttoned boot, a buttoned glove, early advertising and shoe-store trade cards. Photographs from past exhibitions are in the Gallery.
Shadow boxes
Items of modest proportions and weight can be displayed and protected in a shadow box. This display unit is something like a picture frame, but with a deep space behind the glass. Shadow boxes can be custom made at framing shops or purchased in standard sizes at craft stores. Since collections are generally growing, a permanent method of attaching items to a display can create problems when you acquire a new addition. Instead, select a few spectacular examples or a specific theme for your permanent shadow box display.
Play with the layout of your items until you are ready. The layout is important. Leave space around the items and don't try to pack too many together in a small space. Neat rows work well.Consider adding an original paper advertisement or some written information to explain the origin of your collection. Although the 'Victorian' theme (composed of snippets of photos, lace, and greeting cards) is currently popular, it is difficult to pull off with style and can appear tacky and cluttered. Try to keep it simple - use the Victorian era mounting and displaying of butterflies in neat rows with labels as your inspiration. You can type up very tiny description labels on your computer using Times Roman (font) size 8. Cut these out into neat rectangles with your exacto knife. You can dip them in tea if you would like an aged look. These descriptions can be applied inside the shadow box. One option is to glue your label onto a piece of foam core so the label would be slightly raised.
As a final note, proper identification is an important component when you are dealing with historical items. Once you have completed your shadow box, prepare a paper label to affix to the back of the frame, including your personal identification along with a history of the items. This could include where the items were found, the names of previous owners, and any other information you were able to acquire. Providing the background of a collection makes an important historical contribution. It is a common sentiment among collectors to wish that someone had left behind information on the origin of their new acquisition, rather than condemn it to anonymity.
Whimsical shadow boxes as art are a current trend in the modern art world. This has its origins in the 1960s when collage like displays were made with a variety of items. The boxes are usually open shallow wooden boxes with subdivisions, similar to a wall mounted old printing box (the type that held the letters). There is no glass and all items are firmly glued in. Some consist of a variety of old items such as keys, small glass tubes, glass tubes filled with different coloured beads, letters, old photos, and postage stamps. They differ from the tacky popular type shadow box as there is no attempt to "prettify" with lace, glitter, glass jewels, feathers, etc. The display also has a theme - usually the artist has written lines of poetry, and then affixed these among the items. The contents of the box are not entirely vintage - in many cases the artist has assembled or reproduced vintage items - staining letters, and making labels for little glass tubes. The finished boxes are mounted on the wall as art. A recent Toronto art gallery display showed these shadow boxes at a price range of $500 and up. Although the idea of permanently gluing items down is not acceptable for a buttonhook collection, these boxes deserve some attention as some of their techniques might be incorporated into a buttonhook display.