16L Set of Two Small White Bone Shoe, Spats, Gaiter Pin Shank Buttons, 3/8"
These petite round shank buttons, measuring approximately 10 mm (16 lignes or 3/8 inch), are a matched set of two antique white examples made from natural bone (animal bone, such as cow or pig, polished to a smooth, creamy off-white finish with subtle natural grain and minor age-related discoloration or spotting).
These buttons were primarily designed for high-button boots, including ladies' and gentlemen's button-up ankle boots, as well as gloves and occasionally gaiters or spats. Spats and gaiters served as protective leg coverings worn over shoes or boots to guard against mud and were staples in Victorian and Edwardian fashion and early twentieth-century sportswear. Their small size facilitated tight closures that required a buttonhook tool for fastening. Although versatile for children's clothing, blouses, cuffs, or shirts, their most iconic and common application was in footwear and related accessories throughout the 19th century.
They have a flat face with a small central metal pin or stud (probably steel or brass) protruding from the center, giving a subtle raised detail. The back features a metal pin shank—a straight wire post with a loop or ring at the end for sewing attachment—typical of functional buttons from the 19th century.
The material is natural bone, a durable and inexpensive option widely used for utilitarian buttons before synthetic alternatives became common. Bone was soaked, sliced into sheets, cut into blanks, polished, and often fitted with metal shanks for strength. White or off-white bone buttons like these were practical choices for everyday wear, mimicking the look of more expensive ivory while being far more affordable.
Dating places them firmly in the 19th century, specifically the mid-to-late Victorian era, circa 1850s–1880s (with possible extension into the early 1890s). This timeframe aligns with the peak popularity of high-button boots (which surged in the 1860s–1880s), the use of pin shanks (a transitional style from simple drilled holes to more secure metal fittings), and bone's prominence as a button material before mass-produced glass, porcelain, and early plastics took over. Earlier 1800s bone buttons often had simpler drilled holes or gut loops, while later ones shifted toward wire/loop shanks.
Origin is attributed to Germany, as bone button production was widespread there in the 19th century for export to Britain, America, and beyond. Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic) focused more on glass, while bone work was common in German and British workshops—some sources note bone pin shank buttons as 18th-19th century staples in European tailoring.
Measure approximately 16L, 16 lignes, 10 mm, or 3/8"
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