Button, Froner Plastics Ltd, London, ca. 1949
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1949
Button, Froner Plastics Ltd, London, ca. 1949 is an object recorded by Victoria and Albert Museum, dated ca. 1949. The museum's brief description reads: Plastic button, transparent with central brass raised disc, 1940s, British.
Museum description: Transparent plastic, probably cellulose acetate, circular button with stamped, raised metal disc attached by loop of wire through central hole. The back of the button has a carved pattern of lines around the edges. The museum record gives material recorded as cellulose acetate, metal; measurements height 10.3 cm; diameter 2.2 cm; place associated: London. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This button was produced in the Froner Plastics factory, London, around 1949. Buttons made from seashells, with holes for threading, have been found dating back to 2000 BCE, although these were probably used with more decorative purpose. Functional buttons, designed to fasten with buttonholes, were first seen in Germany in the 13th century. Over the centuries following, the history of the button reflects trends in applied aesthetics, designed by artists or in cottage industries, made from seashell, metals, woods and as this one, with plastic. This particular one reflects the 20th century development in mass produced clothing, made on a machine designed to replicate the exact design very quickly and easily.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- cellulose acetate, metal
- Dimensions
- height 10.3 cm; diameter 2.2 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Machine-carved cellulose acetate, hand-assembled with stamped and raised metal disc
- Place recorded
- London
Identification
- Museum attribution
- Froner Plastics Ltd
- Museum object name
- Button
- Museum object number
- T.10-2013
- Museum system number
- O1261047
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm materials, dimensions, maker and wider type against the museum record and a specialist reference.