The Birmingham Button Trade by John P Turner

This article was first published in 1866 as pages 432 to 451 inclusive of a book called 'The Resources, Products, and Industrial History of Birmingham and the Midland Hardware District: A Series of Reports, collected by the local industries committee of the British Association at Birmingham, in 1865'', edited by Samuel Timmins and published in London by Robert Hardwicke, 192, Piccadilly.

If nothing else, the Victorians certainly knew how to write a good all-embracing title!

[I have added illustrations where I have been able to find appropriate ones: these are not copyright as far as I am aware but anyone who feels that I have infringed their copyright is welcome to contact me. I will remove any pictures which turn out to be still in copyright.]

Read the whole article here... or just the section which interests you:
The general history of button making
The development of the button trade in Birmingham
Linen and vegetable ivory buttons
Metal buttons
Pearl buttons
Bone, glass and porcelain
What about the workers?
What about the workers abroad, especially France?
Germany, and Editor's final footnote