Notes
This is the metal face, or front portion, of a two piece button. In this style of button, a disk of lathed bone with a beveled edge often served as a button back. The face of the button was commonly fashioned from a sheet of thin metal, usually a variety of copper alloy, which would be crimped onto the back along the beveled edge of the bone back. This fragment demonstrates the way the metal button face was crimped over backings, as the crimped fold of metal is intact along the edge of the artifact.
These copper alloy faced buttons were often embellished with various forms of decoration, among them plating and impressed designs. The Sheffield plating technique, developed in 1742, fused thin layers of silver or tin to copper sheets, but only on the surface that will eventually be the button exterior. Intricate designs were achieved by hammering the covers into engraved molds which bore design elements prior to affixing portions the button together. This face displays a fine design of impressed “embroidered” elements which quarter the face. This style was referred to as a “Death’s Head” button in the eighteenth century, and was popular in both metal and cloth form.
In the eighteenth century, buttons came in a variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes this variation can be used to identify which articles of clothing a button may have been used in the past. The diameter of this button suggests it was possibly for use on a waistcoat.
Object Type
ButtonsHas it Been Conserved?
Yes
Where Was It Found?
Project Site: House for Families [more details]
Material
Manufacturing Technology
Form
Shape
Completeness
Decorative Technology
Decorative Notes
4-quadrant Death Head design with silver/tin plating.
Date
18th century
Country of Origin
Dimensions
13.09mm x 0mm x 13.24mm (W x H x L)
Illustration shows object in comparison to the size of a quarter
Weight
0.1 gram(s)
Object Number
1788584
DAACS Number
1788584
Project: House for Families
The structure identified as the “House for Families” on the 1787 Vaughan plan likely housed the majority of the enslaved population living at the Mansion House Farm for much of the second half of the eighteenth century. The building was in existence from circa 1760 until it was demolished in late 1792 or early 1793. The archaeological evidence for the structure consisted of a brick-lined storage cellar (44FX762/40-47) measuring roughly six feet by six feet. Historically the cellar served as a handy trash receptacle once it ceased to be used for its original storage function, and through extensive excavation has yielded an extremely rich assemblage of household refuse. The analysis of these remains offers the opportunity to study important aspects of the daily lives of Mount Vernon's enslaved community.
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