By Marika Pirie
A few buttonhook collectors are fortunate enough to have an example or two of buttonhooks with real photographs inserted into the handles. Many have questioned the origins of these buttonhooks, however, there have been few clues, other than that they appear to have come from the United States.
The recent exhibition of Photographica (1830 - Present) at the Art Gallery of Ontario (running to July 2003) sheds some light on this type of buttonhook. The exhibit presents various items, often quite ordinary, but every item incorporates a photograph. We may have seen similar items at antique shows, but have never really thought about them.
The appearance of photography in the mid 19th century was revolutionary on many levels. Exhibits and scholarly texts have generally looked into its history - and the advances in the technology, or famous photographers. Most of the items in this exhibition are from the late 1800s, when the cost of photography had declined, and the general public were now able to purchase many items. In 1888, the appearance of the Kodak pocket camera by George Eastman of Rochester New York, took the public out of the expensive photography studios, and the number of photographs produced skyrocketed.
The inclusion of photographs on items extented to two areas: (1) The customization of objects for personal use, (2) Advertising items.
Buttonhooks were produced in an enormous variety of materials. The type including photographs are fairly difficult to find now, although they appear to have been produced in some quantity with customized photographic inserts. The buttonhook pictured on our left including real photographs under a layer of celluloid is the design most commonly found. This standard design - solid handle comprised of scales of celluloid which have been rivetted to a metal base. The photographs are slivers and usually appear on both sides. Some are decorative - nudes, flowers, statues and others are photographs of individuals. Occasionally identification is provided, such as "From Jessie to Joseph, Xmas 1915". Most appear to be from around 1905 or later, however, few are dated.
The AGO exhibition included a man's shaving blade with handle which would be a companion piece to this buttonhook. The handle had the same composition of photographs under slivers of celluloid and the same traditional colours of yellow and black. The following is the gallery's description:
American, 20th Century / Shaving blade with photo illustration of Labourers, 1907 / Celluloid handle, photographic print inscribed: Herman Walter, Johnstown, Pa. May 1907. / Private Collection/ Cat. No. 17.
The inscription seems to be the name of the owner of the shaving blade - perhaps useful in the event that he misplaced it.
The exhibition's catalogue explains that the late Victorian era was a time when various new products (both advertising and non-advertising) were introduced such as clocks personalized with a photograph on a celluloid base, personalized jewellery and other objects.
Another exhibit at the AGO was a salesman's sample suitcase with celluloid medallions imprinted with photographs and designs. This would relate to the celluloid buttons called "pinbacks" used as advertising giveaways, campaign buttons, etc. This exhibit was described as follows:
P. Photo Novelty Corp., N.Y. / U.S. Salesman's Kit, Celluloid/Medallion portrait examples, 1929.
In the United States, Whitehead & Hoag (W & H) of New Jersey produced countless buttons for political campaigns, advertising, fund raising and other purposes. These are now collected avidly by "pinback" collectors. Their origins date to 1892 when W & H developed a method to produce a thin clear layer of celluloid over a lithographed piece of paper. Celluloid was patented by J. W. Hyatt in 1872 and manufactured in the U.S. Celluloid consists of cellulose fibers treated with nitric and sulphuric acids and plasticized with camphor. This laminate was then joined to a rounded sheet of tinned iron alloy that was held in place by overlapping it around the metal base and pressing it into place with a marginal rim called a
. The spring pin was usually attached to the collet (as was the buttonhook or buttoner loop). W & H continued to develop additional items suitable for promotional use such as the match safe shown below.
W & H applied for the first patents for this button in 1895. Their first patent covered the face of the button and later patents included the backing, a circular wire inside the rim, used as a holding pin.
In 1917 another type of button was introduced where the lithographed design was stamped directly onto the tinned iron-alloy support base. Only 2-3 colours could be used. The introduction of lithographed buttons led to the decline of the costlier celluloid buttons, although celluloid buttons remained popular, as they were not as easily damaged through chipping or scratching. Collectors consider 1896-1920 as the high period of the celluloid button, and that the introduction of the mass produced tin button led to a deterioration of quality.
There are numerous books and collector clubs devoted to the collection of pinbacks. However, to date, none mention the W & H buttonhook/buttoners although these clearly had the W & H labels on the back. Incidentally, W & H charged extra if the customer did not want their self-promotional label.
Other interesting items at this exhibition revealed the variety of uses of photographs on household items. An 1890s quilt was pieced together from squares of coloured silk - each square imprinted with a photograph. Some of the items would not be as popular today - the clock with the owner's portrait is one. A Royal Doulton teacup was displayed as it included the owner's portrait affixed to the porcelain - a forerunner of today's customized coffee mug.
Unfortunately, the catalogue for this exhibition was unable to identify the manufacturer of the photographic buttonhook. At this point we may understand that this type of buttonhook was a part of a vast array of personalized photographic items that flooded the market place. These were the end results of improved technology, mass production and a rising middle class who could afford such items.
Information on Whitehead & Hoag drawn from “Care and Conservation of Political Campaign Buttons” by Paul Storch, The Minnesota History Interpreter, Vol. XXVI No. 3, March 1998.