Museum  

COLLECTIONS & DISPLAYS:

Brixham Heritage Museum Bolton Cross, Brixham, Devon,TQ5 9SQ    Military & Other Buttons from the Berry Head Forts

To view line art of some of the buttons they found or order their book go to  www.brixhamheritage.org.uk   

The Button Museum,  Ross on Wye.  Has now closed. See Gallery of Costume at Platt Hall in Manchester 

City of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.   Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3D  

Gaunt Collection. see  Lynette Carey BL17/6-8.    see also Maritime Buttons in the J.R.Gaunt Collection.        Luckock Collection.   The two collections above are not usually on display; the staff will show a collection if you make an appointment, the majority are mounted and not allowed to be touched.

Cooper-Hewitt Museum       Smithsonian                            

Edinburgh Castle  houses the National War Museum of Scotland & the regimental museum of the Scots Dragoon Guards. Lots of uniforms & buttons on display.

Essex Institute Salem,   Massachusetts   249 specimens holds Emilio Collection  +  Other occasional displays.  

Gallery of Costume at Platt Hall in Manchester                                                                                                                                           `...they actually  bought Alan Meredith's collection   (the Meredith's used to have a button  museum [Ross on Wye]). It's well worth a visit, though only open on the last  Saturday of each month and you need assistance if you want to view something specific. They had a fantastic Firmin pattern book there  asbsolutely jam-packed with livery buttons, all identified.' Thanks to Ashley Birch for this inclusion[edited]. click here   

Historisch Kostuum Museum,  Utrecht, Nederlands.see [title]    J. Curtis  BL58/4  

Jablone,   Museum of Glass & Jewellery     Czech Republic  Lacy Glass buttons reproduced on postcards from  Sc. www.ohgosh-buttons.com

The Keep Homestead Museum   Collection of Lyra Keep Lovell Moulton   35 Ely Road, Monson.

Kensington Palace  Houses the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection which dates from the 18th Century & includes court dress.

Kirkaldy Museum,  Fifeshire.   Comments: seven Wemyss  buttons  on display.  Ref: Corr. M. MacCormack  BL82/22.  

Ludenschied - name of collection & museum not known. [reference?]

Musee de la Mosaique et des Emaux de Briare,   France.    http://www.coeur-de-france.com/briare-emaux.html, pulled this one from a resource website at      http://www.iwantbuttons.com/buttons.htm   to see some of the museum displays go to   http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/chinaexchange/

Museum of Costume Bath.  Comments: Some cut steels not a major collection but their costume collection is very good.

Museum of the Confederacy       Has a collection of 1000 military buttons                                           http://www.moc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ce_col_main

The National Army Museum:

    Parkyn Collection.  Last time I checked not on display but available for viewing by arrangement  

The National Maritime Museum: has an extensive catalogue of photos on its website including some examples of RN & EIC uniform detail, museum publications have in the past included buttons.    

New York [reference?]

Pennsylvania House Museum. `The Grace Porter collection of more than 100,000 buttons  fill an entire room.  It is considered one of the largest and most unique button collections in the country.'     http://www.ohiobyways.com/  go to bottom of page just above graphics & follow the link.

Taunton   Peacock Collection.  see BL22/10  

Tokyo Button Museum - I;ve just purchased the Button Museum book, so I hope to have more on this one soon.

Waddesdon Manor,   Aylesbury.    De Rothschild collection.

Waldes-Museum Prague  Collection of buttons & dress fastenings

Weston super Mare.   Jet.  see BL22/10    

Vermont Virtual Civil War Museum:     The John Gibson Collection.   http://vermontcivilwar.org/museum

Volunteer Material in Cornish Museums    C.Thomas     MHS BV. V11 N27/57

The British Museum :

 http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britisches_Museum

There are a great many buttons in regimental museums all over the country but I have not listed them here. You cannot always trust what you see in displays; I've seen sepoys with Rifle Brigade buttons; Ghurkas with blank white metal  transport type buttons and Victorian privates with Kc GS. Having said that the overwhelming majority are accurate and a rich source for collectors, for example I only found out that these two were Hampshire Rgt. buttons when I visited their Museum in Winchester. 

Revised: June 23, 2007 .