God bless you all this Easter.  And don’t over do the chocolate.

Here are some buttons from the 1950’s and beyond:

L-R. Haby Habits (Coles brand) from 1970/80s.  Beutron from 1950’s and 1960’s.

Enjoy some edgy fashions from September 1967!

Jan 1950: Biddy and Mattie look a treat!

Enjoy a quick stroll through the fashions of the 1950’s.

August 1951: I look so good it hurts.

August 1952: Love the hat!

March 1951:Hmm….rather conservative.

November 1958: Attitude can make the frumpiest dress work.

Cards of Coronet brand buttons are often titled “Button of the Moment”,  but there were also those titled “Artistic Accessories”.  They are hand painted glass buttons,  so were probably imported although we think this was an Australian company.

Behind the 2 buttons on the left is an artist’s pallet and paint brushes.

Here is an example of a 1950’s style card of Maxart buttons.

… and a 1950’s style generic line of probable Beauclaire buttons.  (The back of the cards are printed in the exact format of Beauclaire cards,  except for the brand name.)

I’ve just received my second sample of buttons from the ‘Rosalea’ brand.  This is a brand I haven’t found mention of in archives.  Does anyone know which manufacturer produced them,  or anything else about them?   As I’ve mentioned on the ‘Obscure/Unknown page’ they were at least sold here,  if not also carded or produced here.

Beautiful glossy Rosalea brand buttons.

I also have a new member of the Coronet family of Disney character buttons; a red Bambi.

I might just be crazy,  but every now and then I see something that I think is worth the expense of shipping back from the USA  (postal costs are high there).   This is one such time.

This ad from 1952 features 3 women in aprons,  chefs hats and high heels  (of course, don’t all wives dress that way?)  merrily boiling a giant button in a copper of sudsy water to illustrate the boil resistance of Beutrons ‘boil-tested whites’.  Talk about the “Mad Men” era of advertising!! Therefore,  I couldn’t resist this card of buttons featuring the same trio.  Karen,  an Aussie by birth who resides in the USA,  had them from her mother’s estate.  So home they have come!

Although Beutron were originally all Australian made,  around 1953-1955 their lines included glass buttons  ‘designed by overseas designers’ and  ‘copied from French and American fashions’.  These were not made in Australia, as explained below;

The details are from 1953 ads.  The term ‘pearl’ is being used here loosely to describe plastic imitation.

Glass button have only been made artists/designers studios within Australia,  not large scale or factory produced.  Here are some examples,  along with the matching illustrations from Women’s Weekly advertising.

In the examples below, the top 2 are glass examples from 1955.  The bottom row may be Australian made plastic  and metal-coated plastic examples.

(above) Details of these buttons from 1953 and 1955 advertising.

Well I warned you… I’ve been adding to the collection.  Here are some cards and partial cards.  They include 6 small black Coronet brand buttons,  several types of Opal-glo and other Beutron types,  a Beauclaire card as well as a generic ‘Spares’ (produced by Beauclaire for Woolworths), and an Embassy card.  A curiosity is the small ‘David Jones’ labelled card with a fancy metal button.  Perhaps it was a spare button attached to a coat or jacket?

I’ve also been hitting pay-dirt with un-carded buttons by matching them with vintage advertising:

details from 1953 (L) and 1955 (R) ads.

The 2 with the scalloped edging were ‘an exciting new Beauclaire button called “Pearl Blossom”, a lustrous centre of seed pearls set in pastel petals.’  Quite a fancy name for plastic buttons.

From 1951,  these are from the line of Opal-glo Beutron buttons.

detail from 1951 advert.

I suspect that these button below are Coronet brand,  due to the similarity of design of others in my collection.

What a fruitful visit to the Button collectors Club last night!  Thanks Sonia for my Leda buttons,  including mother/daughter/ grandmother versions of some lovely glossy yellow ones that make me think of lemon drops.

circa early 1960’s

I also spied these mother/daughter versions of yet another 1950’s era Beutron ‘Originals’ buttons.

Detail from a 1950 advert.

Contain your excitement!  Today’s finds include Beutron pearl press studs and a fancy example from their ‘Opal-Glo’ range.

detail from advert dated 1953

detail from advert dated 1951

I confess that a have a weakness for duck buttons.  They are just little cuties!  My flock of Beutron ducks now includes 3 colours.

Here are some lovely late 1960’s examples from Coles and Woolies.

I’ve been spending hours cross referencing vintage advertising with buttons for sale, and I’ve gone crazy with purchases.  I’m expecting lots of post-bags coming my way,  so I’ll share my finds with you soon!  See you perhaps at the Victorian Buttons Collectors Club meeting,  Tuesday 8th march in Burwood.