Buttons are among the more personal artifacts recovered on 18th century archaeological sites, including Colonial Dorchester. They were commonly manufactured out of metal, bone, wood, and shell. Metal buttons are most likely to survive in the archaeological record. Common metals used during the Colonial period were pewter, brass, and copper, and most bone buttons were produced using cattle bones. In the 18th century, buttons were predominantly affixed to clothing worn by men while women’s clothing was fastened using other means such as clasp or hooks. More expensive buttons, those of higher quality materials or highly decorative, were likely reused across multiple pieces of clothing throughout time rather than simply discarded.

Hinks, Stephen. 1988. “A Structural and Functional Analysis of Eighteenth Century Buttons.” Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. William & Mary. Paper 1539625441.