Page 20 - September1951

390 NA'IIONAL BUTTON BLTLLETIN September, 1951

AN ENGLISH SAMPLE CASE FROM 1786
There is no other source of information about the buttons of a par-
ticulal time and place so reliable as a lvell-altthenticated sample book, for
in its pages are preserved not descriptions, not pictures, but the very but-
tons themselves. Every detail of material, design and workmanship lies
open for examination.

F ig:. 1. IDnglish Sarrrlrle Case C<ller hrscriDtion
The covt I is marbled papt r, lvir':e (.olor on tan. The ovelali size is aplt|oxintately
b :j1,, x t0 t,L " .

A*ot
€-&**#99,*#&**-

...'.* #gn*-mry/f*.

Fitf. 2. Itnfflist S!rrrrtrle Cflse Iriside InscriDti()I

The case illustrated here which was bronght to this country recently
from France turns the calendar back more than a hundred and fifty years
and briugs us a sampling of those buttons that v'e now call Colonials. The
book is a cardboard folder that opens out to four pages, each one mounted
with twenty-four buttons. The cover is lettered as in Fig. 1, "IG, Card
No. 5362. Fine Gilt Buttons." The title page bears the script lettering seen
in Fis.2, "From Joseph Green, Birmingham, England. August 16, 1786. IG
Cald No. 5362. Att. no Disct." (Text continued on p. 295).