Copper alloy shank button (Archaeological Find)

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A composite image of the front and back of the copper alloy shank button, with scale.

The Massachusetts Bay Colony legislature codified Puritanical attitudes toward adornment in the seventeenth century (Whitmore 1889, 123).

This advertisement by merchant Abigail Whitney reflects the increased commercialism of eighteenth century Boston, as well as the popularity of adornments and the amplified public roles of women (Massachusetts Gazette Extraordinary 1768).

This famous portrait of John Hancock illustrates how buttons could be both practical and lavish (Copley 1765).

Title:

Copper alloy shank button

Subject:

We live in changing times. A little over a century ago, the Massachusetts legislature expressed their “utter detestation & dislike, that men or women of mean condition, should take upon them the garb of Gentlemen by wearing gold or silvar lace, or buttons, or points at their knees, or to walk in great boots” (Whitmore 1889, 123). Just this morning, however, I visited Abigail Whitney’s shop on Union Street, where I found “white Lace... Ribbons, twist & mettal Buttons... shirt Buttons, Horn and Ivory Combs… English Shoes and Clogs,” and countless other adornments (Massachusetts Gazette Extraordinary 1768)! The Puritans might have shunned Abigail’s commercial extravagance, but I certainly appreciate her low prices and wide selection of adornments. I first learned about Abigail’s shop when she advertised in the Massachusetts Gazette. I took the advertisement as a testament to her business prowess–– there are quite a few women merchants in Boston, but few have the means to advertise in such prominent publications (Keyes 2018). The copper alloy shank sleeve button that I purchased from Abigail is nothing fancy, but it will help me look the part of an aspiring gentleman. I dream of one day being mistaken for John Hancock, who like me rose from impoverishment to study at Harvard College. John Singleton Copley’s recent portrait of John Hancock in his home on Beacon Street features him in a gorgeous navy blue frock coat with over a dozen exquisite buttons (Copley 1765). Many Bostonians look to John Hancock as a commercial or political leader, but I see him as a fashion icon!

Source:

Copley, John Singleton
1765 John Hancock. Painting, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.

Fairfax County Archaeological Research Team
2017 “Eighteenth Century Buttons.” C.A.R.T. Archaeology website, February 3. Accessed April 5, 2019. https://cartarchaeology.wordpress.com/2017/02/03/eighteenth-century-buttons/.

Hinks, Stephen
1988 A Structural and Functional Analysis of Eighteenth Century Buttons. Thesis, College of William and Mary.

Keyes, Carl Robert
2018 “March 31.” The Adverts 250 Project website, March 31. Accessed April 5, 2019. https://adverts250project.org/2018/03/31/march-31-3/.

Loren, Diana
2016 “Bodily Protection: Dress, Health, and Anxiety in Colonial New England.” In The Archaeology of Anxiety: The Materiality of Anxiousness, Worry, and Fear. Jeffrey Fleisher and Neil Norman, eds. Pp. 141-156. New York: Springer.

Massachusetts Gazette Extraordinary
1768 “Imported from London, By Abigail Whitney.” Massachusetts Gazette Extraordinary, March 31.

Whitmore, William Henry
1889 The Colonial Laws of Massachusetts: Reprinted from the Edition of 1660, with the Supplements to 1672. Boston, MA.

Object Name:

Heavily corroded copper alloy shank button

Inventory Description:

A heavily corroded curved copper alloy button with sharp protrusion indicating shank, probable sleeve button.

Peabody Number:

2018.24.522

Intrasite:

H965 Level 2

Depth:

62-72cm

Class 1:

Metal

Class 2:

Personal

Class 3:

Button

Quantity:

Height (cm):

2.01

Width (cm):

2.01

Depth/Thickness (cm):

0.1

Notes:

Most likely eighteenth century and of English origin