Hand Painted Porcelain Cat Buttons for #Caturday available @ Time’s Tin Cup !
Buttons have been made out of almost every conceivable material like bone, antler, hoof, minerals, gems, glass, metal, nuts, seeds, shell, wood, leather, and plastics.
Buttons initially were decoration and signified status rather than to secure clothing. They were a fashion statement of the aristocrats and royalty.
Porcelain and other ceramic buttons began to be manufactured from about 1830 and onward. They were hand-painted or decorated with transfer prints.
The craftsmanship on some of the higher end buttons involved carving or minuscule paintings.
These porcelain cat buttons would have been hand-painted. The paint would typically have been applied over the glaze and then fired for permanency.
Poorer colonial families had to make their own buttons and were considered lucky if they owned their own button molds. Pewter or other metals would be melted and poured into molds to fashion buttons for the family.