Civil War Candle Light Tour

Several weeks ago we participated in a benefit Candle Light Tour at the farm of Arthur Street in Coweta.  This event has been growing every year, and it is exciting to see the growth.  This year the proceeds went to benefit the Wagoner County Disabled American Veterans. 

One of the biggest draws was the field hospital where the surgeons used moulage to simulate realistic wounds. The crowd was enthralled as  these medical "professionals" performed amputations, bullet removals, suturing and other surgical procedures.

Plans will soon begin for next year's event.  I hope that it will be bigger and better and that this event will keep growing.

* Photos by Photography by Hannah

Buena Vista Cake

I would like to share with my readers a recipe that I found in the Feb 1849 issue of Godey's Ladies Magazine.  The original appeared as follows:

Obviously it needed some modernising.  After all, how hot is a brisk oven?  After experimentation and cross referencing the quantities with references, I came up with this:

Buena Vista Cake

From Godey’s Lady’s Magazine

Feb 1849

©2011 Kim Gray

1 C. Sugar

2 Sticks butter

¼ C. Rosewater

3 Eggs

2 C. Flour

2 t. Nutmeg

1 t. Soda

1 t. Baking Powder

1 C. Buttermilk or Sour Milk

Pre-heat oven to 350^o  With a blender cream 1 C. Sugar and 2 Sticks of butter until light.  Add rosewater and eggs, beating well after the addition of each.  In a separate bowl sift dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk alternately bit by bit beating well after each addition.  Pour into a greased and lightly floured 13x9x2 inch pan.  Bake at 350^o for 35 minutes or until done.  When cool, lightly sprinkle confectioner’s sugar over the top or glaze with the glaze below.

Glaze

Pour one cup of powdered confectioner’s sugar in a bowl.  Add alternately rosewater and milk a few drops at a time until the consistency is slightly runny.  Dribble the glaze on the top of the cake and spread with a knife in such a way that the glaze runs down the sides.

Note:  I found that the cake was dryer when I used the buttermilk. 

This recipe is not super sweet like a lot of modern recipes are.  The rosewater and nutmeg give it a very unique flavor.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Close Encounter With A Dust Devil

 

     I am fascinated with weather.  One of the things that fascinate  me is dust devils; those little whirlwinds that dance across fields kicking up dust along the way.  They rarely cause any damage, and usually occur when the weather is good.  The first time that I saw one was when I was a young girl in Upstate New York.  I wasn’t quite sure what it was, but it had quite a crowd encircling it, watching.  Since then I have seen dust devils on several occasions, once having two or three of them cross a field and pass right in front of my vehicle.  I wondered what it was like inside one of these vortices.  I determined that if I was ever given the opportunity I would like to experience the inside of a dust devil first hand.

      My opportunity arose at the Battle of Honey Springs in Rentiesville, OK one September several years ago.  I was reenacting as a civilian that weekend.  It was hot out and we were trying to keep from overheating.   I was sitting around in camp when I observed one of these funnels kick up and blow across the field.  I had to run to catch it, placing myself right in the middle of the vortex. 

     I forgot that I was wearing a hoop skirt.  The experience was hard to describe, but the effect was that of Marilyn Monroe’s windy grate experience.  Those whirling winds whisked my skirt up and threatened to embarrass me.   Maybe my billowing skirts changed the direction of the air flow but whatever the reason; it suddenly dissipated leaving me none the worse for the wear, and with yet another funny story about reenacting. 

Godey's June 1839

A Beautiful Surprise

While paging through my 1839 compilation of Godey's Lady's Book I came upon an unexpected surprise.  Tucked between the pages was a penciled drawing.  I don't know its exact age, but it is obviously very old. 

My Country

This is from Godey's March 1839

From Godeys May 1839

Fashions According to Godeys

As I am getting ready to attend Woolaroc's Fall Mountain Man Encampment in Bartlesville, OK I have been doing some research into the 1830s and 1840s.  I would like to share some of my findings over the next couple of weeks.  Some of it I find particularly surprising.

From Godeys Ladies Magazine Jan. 1839

A poor nation that relaxes not from her attitude of defence, is less likely to be attacked, though surrounded by powerful neighbours, than another nation which possesses wealth, commerce, population, and all the sinews of war, in far greater abundance, but unprepared.  For the more sleek the prey, the greater is the temptation; and no wolf will leave a sheep, to dine upon a porcupine.

--From Godeys May 1839--

From Godey's Ladies Magazine Feb 1839

History, Not Hatred

Before I became a living historian I attended a Civil War reenactment at Cabin Creek in Oklahoma.  I observed a man with his two young children telling them that the Confederates were the "good guys" and the Federals were the "bad guys."  He got them to cheer as the lads in grey passed and boo at the Federals.  I was aghast.  Yes, there were good guys and bad guys in the Civil War, but it had nothing to do with what side they were on.  I couldn't help but wonder what kind of hatred he was teaching them. 

We are living historians trying to portray a particular time period in history.  The vast majority of us are not out there to re-live the war and all of its horrors.   I am sure that none of us would like to see another outbreak of unimaginable death and decay.  Our purpose is to educate the public about one of the darkest hours in American history and to honor those who lived in that time period. 
 

The first time that I reenacted with my friend, Vaunda, I found out that she is descended from Jefferson Davis.  I am a descendent of James Albert Hard, the oldest veteran of the Grand Army of the Republic (Union).  There we were, sharing a tent at a reenactment and laughing about what our ancestors would have thought.  The point is that the past is past, and any animosity should stay in the past.  It was Robert E. Lee who said after the war, "it is the duty of every citizen, in the present condition of the Country, to do all in his power to aid in the restoration of peace and harmony."¹  Lee also said, "Dismiss from your mind all sectional feeling, and bring [your children] up to be Americans."²  The Civil War ended almost 150 years ago.  Why are we still fighting it? 

I don't have a good guy/bad guy mentality.  What is most important to me is the character of the man, not which side he fought on.   It takes two sides to have a battle--or a reenactment.  If we had only one side represented we would be unable to have a true historically accurate event.  Although I re-enact as a union civilian, I have great respect for the men in gray, as a whole.  The Civil War is over.  Why are we still fighting it?  After all, we are Americans, not adversaries.

^{1 & 2}http://www.vahistorical.org/publications/historycorner_lee.htm

Will the Real Abigail Please Stand Up

Every time we are at an event someone asks me, "Are you Anna or Abigail?"  The truth is that I am Abigail, and at the same time I am neither.  You see, when I am acting as a living historian I take the name of "Abigail", since "Kim" is not very period correct.  There was, however, a real "Abigail", and today I would like to introduce you to her. 

Her real name was Abigail Champney Welton.  She was my great, great, great grandmother (that's a lot of "greats").  She was born in 1812 and lived most of her life in Middlebury Township, Wyoming County, New York.  She married her husband, John H. Welton on October 13, 1833 in Covington, NY in a Baptist Church.  She was illiterate and bore 7 or 8 children.  After John died in 1858, she was left without any means of supporting herself.

Her young son, Charles, went to work for various local farmers where he was paid in produce, corn, meat, wood, and on a rare occasion, cash. Then came the Civil War.  In 1862 Charles, then 15 years old enlisted in the 136th New York infantry.  For his enlistment Charles received a bounty from the state, of which he gave his mother $20.00, and his brother-in-law, Maurice Nelan $20.00 to distribute to his mother as needed.  He also gave directions for Maurice to collect his $100.00 town bounty to hold for Abigail.  By enlisting, Charles had found a way to support his mother.  He never returned.  On May 15, 1864 he was shot at the Battle of Resaca and died.  He was 17.

After his death Abigail filed for a pension since her son was her sole provider.  A pension of $8.00 a month was granted to her.  Later in life she moved in with her daughter and son-in-law, Maurice and Jane Nelan.  She died in 1874. 

I have no pictures of her, but I can imagine a thin woman with weathered hands and face dressed in a well-worn and patched prairie type dress.  My great grandfather remembers her sitting at her spinning wheel spinning the wool from her son-in-law's sheep into yarn.  Work was no stranger to her.  She lived in a time when women had few opportunities to earn a living.  Denied of education and destitute, she had her faith in God and the resolve to do what needed to be done to survive and raise her remaining children.

Battle of Reed's Bridge, Arkansas

First of all, I must apologize to my readers for my delay in writing this blog.  Count this as last week's blog and I will have another one out later this week.  My, how the days fly by.

Last weekend, Aug. 27-28, a reenactment of the Battle of Reed's Bridge took place in Jacksonville, AR, which is just north of Little Rock.  Set in an idyllic park with recreated log structures, this event, though small, was an awesome reenactment.  The event coordinators did an excellent job and really rolled out the red carpet for the participants.  The town's restaurants provided the Saturday night's meal as well as Sunday's lunch.

The event had a little of everything:  artillery, hand-to-hand combat by the cavalry as well as the ever present infantry.  I have been told that this event will not be held next year so that the coordinators can work on their sesquicentennial celebration slated for 2013.  This will be one event on the sesquicentennial trail that you won't want to miss.

    Across the Bridge

Infantry Camp

In the Confederate Camp

 Stacked Arms

Abigail Hard at Work

Anna &Abigail's Drygoods

America's Greatest Trial, Tragedy and Triumph

The War of the Rebellion, The War of Northern Aggression, The Late Great Unpleasantness, The Civil War.  No matter what you call it, (and there are many names), I believe that the Civil War was Americas greatest trial, its greatest tragedy and its greatest triumph.  Brother against brother, father against son, and neighbor against neighbor no issues have been as divisive as secession and slavery before or since this time period.  In communities across the nation violence erupted as pro-union and pro-confederate neighbors attacked each other using guerilla type methods.  Even in the Senate, violence erupted as Senator Charles Sumner was beaten with a cane by Preston Brooks in the Senate chambers in 1856.  No other president than Lincoln has had to face the division of the union.  This issue, more than any other, caused Lincoln the most heartache.  On June 16, 1858 Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand.  I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.  I do not expect the union to be dissolved--I do not expect the house to fall--but I do expect that it will cease to be divided.  It will become all one thing, or all the other.”  And on August 22, 1862, he said, “ My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that.” ¹ This division of the Union was a heavy weight resting on the shoulders of a big man not just in stature, but in character, as well.  I believe this to be America’s biggest trial. 

The Civil War was also America’s greatest tragedy.  Over half a million soldiers (both North and South) perished in the service of their country.  This is more than all other wars combined from the Revolution to Vietnam.  In addition to soldiers, civilians were tortured and killed, homes and cities were vandalized and destroyed or burned, and lives were disrupted.  Thousands of soldiers starved and rotted in prisoner of war camps, both north and south.  The heartache was unfathomable.  To put this into perspective, there were less than 3,000 people killed in the attacks on 9/11.  Compare this to the Battle of Shiloh where there were over 23,000 casualties, or Antietam where there were over 26,000 casualties or Gettysburg where there were over 50,000 casualties.²  And these are only three of the many battles that were waged during the 4 year conflict.  While I am in no way trying to minimize the 9/11 attacks, I am trying to create a mental image of the tragedy of this war.  To add to this tragedy is the fact that it was not an outsider attacking a unified nation, but rather, Americans fighting Americans. 

The Civil War changed many things.  Most notable was the end of slavery in this country.  Although it would be one hundred plus years for the black man to achieve true equality, they could now pursue that goal as free men.  One can only imagine how it must have felt to pass from being someone’s chattel to having chains fall off, both literally and figuratively. 

 After the war, the South was left in shambles.  It took many years of hard work to rebuild and restore the buildings and rail lines as well as the communities and people.  Bitterness persisted, especially since many carpet baggers invaded the region to further exploit a people who were already down in order to pad their own pockets.  In true American fashion, though, the South, like the Phoenix, arose out of the rubble and carried on as equals to their Northern counterparts.  Today we are one nation.  There is no more North and South.  Before the Civil War, people would say, “The United States are…”  Today, they say, “The United States is…”  The ending of slavery and the re-unification of a nation demonstrates that the Civil War was truly America’s greatest triumph.

 ¹ http://www.carrothers.com/lincoln.htm

 ² http://americancivilwar.com/cwstats.html 

Rub A Dub Dub -- Bathing In the 19th Century

How clean would you be if you had to haul your water from a well or the stream in buckets, heat it on the stove, and move the bathtub over by the fire in the winter?  That is quite a bit of work unless you were priviledged enough to have servants. 

In the Victorian age, water was so precious that bath water typically was re-used.  In this case, as in many others, rank had its priviledge.  The father of the family bathed first, then the mother, then the kids in descending age.  I imagine that the bathwater at the end was quite disgusting. 

I have tried to find information on towels of the era.  If I am going to live the experience, I want to do it right.  According to "The Workwoman's Guide" published in 1838, each family should have six to twelve towels for each wash stand.  The "best fine towels" were made of the finest pinafore diaper (?), and measured 3 feet x 12 nails (27 inches).  The "best coarse towels" were made of fine huckaback (huck towels) and measured the same as the best fine towels.  These types of towels are still sold today.  "Family coarse towels" were made of coarser huckaback and measured 1 yard by 11 nails (24.75 inches) while "Servants towels" were made of coarse huckaback and measured the same.¹  The 1897 Sears and Roebuck catalog advertises damask (satin and linen) and turkish towels.  They also advertise "Turkish Face Cloths" Size 15 x 15 (inches?), full bleached, plain white or with stripe.  They were 5 cents each or 56 cents a dozen.  Fancy patterned face cloths were also available.²

I am fortunate enough to have a bathtub.  “Fortunate?” you say.  “Doesn’t everybody?”  While bathtubs are a standard fixture in modern homes, I have one that I can take with me to events.  I am probably the only one that carts a bathtub around with me, and only in the summer months.  There is nothing more refreshing than taking a bath in the evenings after a sultry summer day.   Some of the event coordinators put a spigot or garden hose out for the reenactors.  It has to be carried from the water source back to our tent and is very cool. 

It is quite a shock to get into a cold bath.  We took our own water to the last event in jugs.  The temperature was well over 100 degrees every day.  The water was so warm that we actually had to cool it off by adding ice water from the cooler!

My tub looks very similar to one pictured on the Smithsonian website, identified as an 1860 Sitz Bathtub.³
Mine looks to be made of galvanized metal, so it is probably newer.  After filling it with 2-3 buckets of water, you sit in it and your legs dangle over the edge and rest on the ground.  Needless to say, bathing the lower extremities is definitely a challenge.

                                                  

Another method of bathing is simply washing up with a basin.  This is much more portable than the bathtub, but not nearly as nice.

                                                       

¹ “The Workwoman’s Guide” by a lady.  Originally published:  London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1838.

²1897 Sears Roebuck Catalog, Editor Fred L. Israel.  Chelsea House Publishers, 1968.  New York.

³ National Museum of American History.  http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object.cfm?key=35&gkey=203&objkey=8825

Sunday Evening

I snacked by way through lunch, drank a Dr. Pepper and the juice that I made for breakfast, so my water usage was reduced.

Dinner was hamburgers cooked on the grill.  We used 1/4 C. water for food prep, and 1 gallon to do dishes afterward.

I took a bath last night and washed my hair.  The bath used 1-1/2 gal, and 3 cups for my hair (shampoo and conditioner).

So here are my Sunday results:

Brushing my teeth:  1-1/2 C  = .0935 g.
Flushing the toilet:  2-2/3 g
Washing and bathing:  1.8125 g.
Food Prep:  .625 g
Washing Dishes: 2 g.
Drinking: 1 C. = .0625 g
Laundry = 13-20 g.

Sunday's Total is 27.2635 g.  This assumes the maximum estimated amount for the laundry.  The average for the two days was 13.63 gallons.  I could have reduced that by not doing the laundry, but hey, you have to wash your clothes sometime.

My point in this study is this:  according to statistics, the people in the city in which I live are using approximately 24.9 million gallons a day in this heat and drought.  There are approximately 98,000 people in this city.  That averages out to 245 gallons a day per person.  Some of that water is used by businesses and industry, but even if that accounts for half, it is still about 125 gallons of water per person per day.  That is a lot of water!

The future is uncertain.  We don't know when it will rain or how much.  Everything is so dry here and if we wait to conserve water until the situation is critical we have waited too long.  My concern is with everything so dry and just ripe for fire, will we have enough water in the future to put the fires out?  I hope that we get rain soon, but until then it is my opinion that we need to begin conserving and/or recycling water now.

Sunday Morning

I made Chuck Wagon Wreck for breakfast.  To make this dish, saute onions and bacon.  You can use dehydrated onions but you must reconstitute them beforehand.)  Add some frozen hash brown potatoes. Cover and cook on low.  When the potatoes are cooked, scramble eggs and add them to the mix.  In a separate pan, make country gravy according to instructions.  I usually use the packaged mix.  After the eggs are cooked, turn the flame off, add some shredded cheese and cover.  When the cheese is melted and the gravy is thick dish out the eggs and potatoes and top with gravy.  I haven't given quantities because I never measure.  How much I use depends on how much I want to end up with.  This dish keeps well, so I usually make extra so that I have breakfast (or lunch) for a couple of days.

This recipe used 4-1/2 C water (4 cups for the gravy and 1/2 cup for the onions).  We also fixed some frozen juice which also took 5.25 C water.  Russ put a load of laundry in the washing machine.  We have a front loader which uses about half of the water as a top loader.  I haven't been able to find an  exact amount for our model, but estimates vary from 13 - 20 gallons.  These amounts are for two people, so for 1 person I will have to divide in half.

Now I have to go clean up.  I wonder how much I will use for that?

Saturday Evening

We ate dinner at Outback.  The members of the 77th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Inc. gathered to celebrate and remember the 150th anniversary of the forming of the original 77th.  Many of us dressed in period attire.  While we were eating it began to rain.  Everyone was happy to see it.   Though not nearly enough, at this point we are grateful for anything that we get.  Bottom line for dinner:  no water for food prep/cleanup.

I came home and took a bath in my period bathtub.  I used 1-1/4 gallon.  It seemed like less water than I usually use, but got the job done.  If I had washed my hair the water usage would have been more.  After my bath Russ and I carried the tub outside and dumped it on the one tree that seems to be faring the worst in the drought.

Recap for the day:
I prepared one meal at home.  My actual water usage is as follows:

Brushing my teeth:  1-1/4 cup = .078 Gallons (g)
Drinking:  6C. = 0.375 g
Toilet (2 flushes) = 2-2/3 g
Washing Buttons = 1/4 g.
Bath = 1=1/4 g.
Dishes = .875 g

Total  = 5.498 g.

Saturday Afternoon

I did the lunch dishes this afternoon.  I used .875 gallons (one gallon less 2 cups) of water.  I used two metal camping type basins.  I used about a half gallon in one and a half gallon in the other.  I used a small amount of dish soap.  After I was done I took the soapy water outside and used it to water some of my plants.  Then I poured the rinse water in the basin that had the soapy water to rinse it out.  Again, I poured that on my plants.  It is amazing how much one gallon of water can do.

I flushed the toilet this afternoon.  It used 1.34 gallons of water (we have a water saving tank).  This may gross some people out, but you don't have to flush the toilet every time.  It also helps if you use one ply toilet paper.  My kids think I am nuts, but I now hate using two ply because it doesn't last long.

I am in the process of washing a shipment of buttons that I received in.  So far I have used two cups of water for that.  The water came from two partial bottles that I found in the truck.  Once they have been open and sat around a while I don't like to drink them, but I can always find a use for the water.

On another note, I have drunk 3 cups of water so far today.  I have been inside most of the day, or my consumption would be a whole lot more.

Saturday Morning

I got this morning off to a running start.  I brushed my teeth in 3/4 cup of water.  This is how I do it:

First I pour the water into a cup.  I used one of my tin reenacting cups out of habit.  Dip your toothbrush into the cup to moisten it.  When using little water I use tooth powder since it does not foam like normal modern toothpastes.  When through brushing I use two small mouthfuls to rinse with and then rinse the toothbrush out in what is left.

I washed up using one wet wipe.  The wet wipe was invented in 1859 by Mr. Wipe...Okay, I am full of it.  I admit I cheated.  The wet wipe was not invented until the late 1970s.  But the purpose of this experiment is not to be totally 19th century but to see how little water I can comfortably get away with.

I had to do some work out in the garage so I drank 8 ounces of water plus ice (am I supposed to count the ice too?)  Note:  The ice had melted when I drank it.

We were on the go so we grabbed breakfast at Sonic, so no breakfast dishes or prep.  I will factor this into my end totals.  I ordered water instead of another, high sugar and calorie drink.  I am still working on it so when I am done I will figure out how much that was and add it to the total.

More later...

My Objective

My objective in this weekend's water experiment is not to use no water at all, but to use water as people would have in the 19th century.  I will be fully immersed in the 21st century, eg:  business as usual, but with some modifications in how I approach water usage.  I will be running this experiment over the course of 2 days so that I can compare and contrast different methods of certain tasks, such as bathing, washing dishes, etc.  Some of my methods of personal hygiene I have not learned from a book, but by ingenuity in the face of having to carry my water in a bucket for a distance.

I have also learned to recycle my water.  When I am out in the field, water from the cooler is drained off and used for other things.  I hate to see it go to waste.  I will be using recycling in this experiment also.

Lastly, since most of my time will be spent indoors, the amount of water that I drink will be much less than it would be if I were outside.  Nevertheless I will be keeping track of that also, even the amount that I drink in other drinks such as juice.

I am looking forward to sharing this with my readers, and I look forward to hearing your comments.

Stay Tuned

With rolling blackouts and water rationing a real possibility, I have decided to conduct an experiment to see just how many gallons of water a person really needs in a day. I am going to use my knowledge of 19th century living to get by on as little water as necessary and measure every drop of water that I use. I will begin my experiment on Sat morning and run it through Sunday night. I will be making frequent posts to let you know how I am doing.

Beat the Heat

Disclaimer:  Nothing in this article is meant to give medical advice.  If you are going to be out in the heat, please consult your doctor.

Two weeks ago we attended an event in triple digit heat.  Even though our tent provided good shade inside, everything was hot to the touch…the glass in our display cases, the wooden stools, the frame on my glasses…everything.  Fortunately, this event was a non-period event and we had the luxury of electricity so we were able to have a fan.  Nevertheless, I would like to share some of the non-electric things that we do to make us a little more comfortable. 

1.      1.  Drink, Drink, Drink.  Did I mention drink?  I can’t stress it enough.  When we are out in the field during hot weather Vaunda and I make it a point to remind ourselves and each other to have another bottle of water.   If you don’t drink, you can’t sweat, and sweating is how we stay cool.  At the last event, my black shorts were white with salt from sweating, so we made sure to eat too so that our bodies remained balanced.

2.     2.  One tip that we were given by a seasoned sutler is to purchase a garden sprayer and fill it with ice and water.  We take a quilt and wrap it around the sprayer and put it in a burlap sack so as to make it look period.  We use the sprayer to mist ourselves down.  It really makes a difference in keeping cool.  Wrapped in this fashion the water will remain cold for a day in triple digit heat or possibly for the weekend if it is only in the 90s.  A word of caution…get a brand new sprayer for this.  Never use one that has had pesticides or garden chemicals in it.  No matter how clean you think it is, why take a chance?

3.     3.   Use what is available.  We recycle the water that is drained from our cooler.  This cold water goes into our sprayer or it is used for sponge bathing or for cooling down.  We keep a supply of flour sack towels around.  These are available for sale at hobby and/or sewing stores.  In addition to bathing, they can be used for cold compresses or placed around the neck for cooling. 

4.    4.    Evaporating water helps to cool you.  Sweat does this, but sometimes cool water is even better.  I was at one event where the men were going shirtless.  This was not only taboo by 19^th century standards, but there are better ways to beat the heat.  Taking the shirt off, soaking it in water (tepid or slightly cool), and then putting it back on is a better way to cool off.  I have done this myself when working around the home with great success.

If you experience any of the following symptoms you might be suffering from a heat related illness:  fatigue, nausea, headache, muscle cramps, weakness, confusion or anxiety, slowed or rapid heart rate, dizziness or fainting, decreased sweating, or convulsions.¹ Go some place where it is cool and seek medical attention.  Remember that 19^th century people were more accustomed to the heat than most of us are today.  Also remember that the mortality rate was a lot higher back then.  Don’t be a statistic.  Be safe and keep cool.       

¹ http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-heat-related-illness-symptoms

Here A Button, There A Button

I would like to conclude my series on buttons by covering some other common types of buttons. 

Vegetable Ivory

First on my list are vegetable ivory buttons.  Vegetable ivory comes from the Tagua nut that grows on trees in South America.  This nut can be carved and finished to a fine ivory like finish.  They are very dense and dye does not penetrate.  Typically the button holes were drilled after they were dyed, so frequently you can tell a VI button by looking at the back.  Sometimes you can also see some graining.

                                                  Tagua Nuts

       Back of a Vegetable Ivory Button showing the dyed and undyed surfaces.

These buttons made their appearance at the 1862 Universal Exposition in Paris and were quite common between 1870 and 1920.¹  This material was a cheaper, more abundant substitute for real ivory.  A resurrection of this type of button just might help save the rainforest by giving South American farmers an income from these nuts, thus encouraging them to plant more trees.

                             Some exquisite vegetable ivory whistles

Horn Buttons

Another natural material for making buttons is horn.  Horn can be heated and pressed into a mold, and thus able to be formed in intricate designs.  One of the tell-tale marks of a horn button is located on the back.  Often there is a pick mark in the back where it was pried from the mold

Buffalo horn buttons (whistles) showing front and back.  You can see the faint pick mark between the holes on the back.

Perfume Buttons

Perfume buttons were made for…you guessed it, perfume.  In the 19^th century perfume was oil based, rather than alcohol based.  Women were justifiably concerned about perfume staining their clothing so they used metal buttons with velvet, fabric or hair inserts to place their perfume on.  When the men went off to war a woman might give him one of her perfume buttons to sew underneath his collar so that he could carry her scent with him. 

                            A perfume button with a velvet insert

Metal Buttons

My series would not be complete without mentioning metal buttons.  The Victorian Era was noted for being ornate.  Many of the metal buttons of the period reflected this ornateness.  They exhibited their love of the arts with picture buttons portraying stories.  These buttons have become very collectible, some of them bringing upwards of $75 or more. Most of the older buttons have a shank on the back.

Metal buttons showing the picture (although this is a rather simple example) and the back, showing the shank.

¹ Sisters Vintage Button Accessories, http://www.kk-design.com/scti/in103/students/buttons/button_project/button%20types/types.htm

China Buttons

I would like to continue my series on buttons this week with a discussion of china buttons.  Calico buttons, which I covered in part one of this series, are a type of china but there are many, many more.  This week a picture will be worth a thousand words, so here we go…

Chinas come in many sizes, colors and body shapes.  Most of them were made in France.  The Bapterosses plant was one of the major plants there.

One of the body shapes is called an “inkwell”.  This is because it has sloping sides and resembles its namesake.  Inkwells come in many different patterns, including calicos. 

These buttons are “pie crust” buttons, named because of the fluted rim.

These are ringers.  I have seen pictures on the Internet of clothing dating to the early 1860s that have ringer buttons on them.  They have also been found on salesman’s sample cards alongside calicos, dating them to the same time period.  They come in many different colors and may have a single band or two or three bands.  I have some ringers that also fall under the pie crust category.

Hobnails are as the name suggests.  (top row).  Underwear buttons have big holes that are reminiscent of alien eyes (bottom row),

Another button that was common during the mid 19^th century is the gaiter.  Gaiters are rounded or conical in shape, and most have metal shanks on the bottom.  Some gaiters have circular patterns and are known as “bulls-eyes”.  The button on the bottom is called a “bird cage” because of the type of shank. 

One of the most fun buttons is the “whistle”.  Whistle buttons have one hole at the top and two holes in the bottom (the second button from the left on the bottom row shows the back side).  This hides the thread inside the button and protects it from wear.  These whistles are fairly plain.  I have seen some that are works of art.

The last type of china that I will illustrate is the stencil.  It is very hard to find information on the inception of the stencil, although we know that they ceased being made around the World War II era.  At some point in the twentieth century they were also made out of aluminum.  These stencils look very different from the chinas.  Stencils come in several patterns and colors, although not as many patterns as calicos. 

If you are interested in china buttons and want to see more, I found a wonderful website that has many pictures on it.  I would recommend it for reference and if you just want the china “wow” factor.

http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/chinaexchange/

For more information I would also recommend the book “Guidelines For Collecting China Buttons” by Ruth Lamm.  It is currently out of print, but is a good handbook if you can find one.

Next week I will conclude this series with a segment on vegetable ivory, metals and perfume buttons. 

Mr. Goodyear and Rubber

Back in the early 1800s trade ships brought rubber to the United States from the Indies.  Enterprising manufacturers began using the material to make products.  There was only one problem.  The rubber turned rock hard in the winter, and when summer came it melted into a sticky goo.  Customers began returning their products which had to be buried due to the smell.  Some of these manufacturers consequently went bankrupt.   Enter on the scene Mr. Charles Goodyear.  This man felt that it was his God given calling to find a way to convert this material into something usable.   He spent several years experimenting until he finally figured out a way to convert this precursor of plastic into something that manufacturers could use.  The process was called Vulcanization.  After this process was developed, rubber was able to be used in the manufacture of many products.  Mind you, this was decades before the advent of tires.

One of the items made from rubber was buttons.  When I first discovered rubber buttons I was intrigued.  When I think of rubber I think of something flexible.   Goodyear rubber buttons are hard.  If you put several in your hands and shake them the noise resembles the clink of poker chips.  Many of the buttons are marked on the back (back marked) with the Goodyear patent date (1851) and possibly the name of the manufacturer.  Common ones are:  IRC (India Rubber Company); N.R. Co (Novelty Rubber Company); A.R. Co (American Rubber Company); and D.H.R. Co (Dickinson Hard Rubber Company.  These buttons come in 16 different sizes, and many shapes and designs, including picture buttons.¹  I will illustrate some of the different buttons here.  Please note that most of these shapes are commonly found in buttons made of other media as well.

An original card of Goodyears

A Goodyear back-mark

A rare brown Goodyear

A Goodyear whistle.  A whistle button has one hole on the top and two on the bottom.  This places the thread inside the button and protects it.  

A Goodyear with a metal shank.

Four of the many designs of Goodyear's  These buttons are found in two and four hole, and shank style among others.

Rubber was also used to make galoshes, also called "rubbers".  Pictured here is a pair of children's boots with rubber galoshes.

The bottoms of the boots are back marked with the Goodyear brand.

1 Gorski, Jill, "Goodyear Rubber Buttons", Bead and Button Magazine, 7/9/2011,  http://bnb.jewelrymakingmagazines.com/Community/Button%20Corner/NBS%20Articles/2009/07/Goodyear%20rubber%20buttons.aspx