The Gilded Age (1870-1900) was a time of fabulous ambitions, when success meant not only wealth but being seen as wealthy. This month’s featured piece is more than a button — it is a declaration of refined taste, a claim in the swirl of upward mobility. Large, bejewelled buttons of 1 1/4” or more from this era are known among collectors as ‘Gay Nineties’, capturing the spirit of the age . . .
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