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Button Making, Elliotts Factory, Birmingham 1844
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Button Making, Elliotts Factory, Birmingham 1844
A woman sits in front of a gilding oven at Elliotts Button Factory, Birmingham. The buttons are coated in a mixture of mercury and gold and then placed in the cylindrical metal cage which is placed inside the oven where the mercury evaporates. Date: 1844
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Media ID 20158949
© Bubblepunk
1840s 1844 Birmingham Button Buttons Cage Cylindrical Elliott Elliotts Gilding Mercury
EDITORS COMMENTS
This image offers a glimpse into the intricate process of gilding buttons at Elliotts Button Factory in Birmingham during the 1840s. The woman in the foreground is intently focused on her task, her expression a testament to the meticulous attention required for this artisanal craft. The gilding oven behind her is a marvel of 19th-century industrial innovation. The buttons, freshly formed and neatly arranged on a nearby table, await their transformation. The gilding process begins with the application of a mercury-gold amalgam to the buttons using a brush. Once coated, the buttons are carefully placed in the cylindrical metal cage, which is then inserted into the oven. As the mercury evaporates in the oven, the gold particles adhere to the surface of the buttons, creating a lustrous, golden finish. The heat from the oven also causes the mercury to vaporize, leaving behind a thin layer of gold. This process imbues the buttons with an opulence and elegance that was highly sought after during the 19th century. The gilding oven, with its cylindrical cage and glowing embers, is a testament to the ingenuity and skill of the artisans who worked in Elliotts Button Factory. The intricate dance between the woman, the gilding oven, and the buttons represents the harmonious blend of human craftsmanship and industrial innovation that defined the 19th-century manufacturing landscape.
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