Immo and Hildegard: Story Button

Immo and Hildegard

Story Button

Stamped and Pierced

Tinted Brass

Shiny Metal Liner

NBS Medium, 1 3/16"

c1890s

Immo and Hildegard - Japanned Back



~ Immo and Hildegard ~

from Gustav Freytag's The Wren's Nest

Printed in the book

Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham, 1810-1897

Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama.

A Revised American Edition

of the Readers' Handbook Volume II (1892)

Immo and Hildegard

Artist - H. Kaulbach

Printed in the book

Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham, 1810-1897

Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama.

A revised American Edition

of the Readers' Handbook Volume II (1892)

There is a beautiful story to go with this button. The button is known as Immo and Hildegard, or, the Lover's Meeting. It is a stamped and pierced brass button, mounted over a shiny metal liner, with a japanned back. At 1 3/16", it is 1/16" shy of being an NBS Large. The streaks in the silver liner are an artifact of the photograph, and do not appear on the actual button. If you click on the image above, you can read about Immo and Hildegard. The full text is available from the The University of Wisconsin's Digital Collections, as printed in Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, circa 1892. The entry starts on Page 204 and continues on Page 205, with the print and a frontispiece sandwiched between them.

Freytag's story of Immo and Hildegard, and H. Kaulbach's image are in the public domain. I wonder if H. Kaulbach had anything to do with the design of this button, since it is clearly patterned after the woodcut illustrating Freytag's story. I also haven't been able to determine how long a work the original volume, The Wren's Nest, might be, because what is printed in Character Sketches is flowery and romantic, but brief. Freytag, a controversial German novelist and playwright, lived from 1816-1895. Kaulbach is probably Hermann Kaulbauch (1846-1909), a German artist best known for his portraits of children.

Image and Text © 2009 Anne AKA Once Upon A Button

Romeo and Juliet: Medieval Couple

Romeo and Juliet

Art Nouveau

Stamped and Pierced

White Metal

Couples Button

NBS Medium, 1 1/16"

Romeo and Juliet - Back

This button is known as "Romeo and Juliet." It is a wonderful depiction of romantic "courtly" life. A fancy dressed Romeo presents a parrot or a cockatoo to his love. The actual button is barely over 1" wide. It is a stamped and pierced white metal button, probably made in the Art Nouveau era. The gentleman wears tights, pointed shoes, puffed sleeves and a plumed hat. The lady wears a lovely gown with a long train, and a hennin with a flowing veil. Note the patterned floor, and the framed effect of the button's design, as if it were a woodcut or an illustration for a book. In natural light, the actual metal is a duller silver than a French white metal button, with just a hint of "orange" patina.

Image and Text © 2009 Anne AKA Once Upon A Button

Minerva: Mythology Button

~ Minerva ~

c1880s

Brass and Silver Metal

Two Piece Construction

NBS Medium

~ Minerva ~

Back View

I acquired this button at a bargain price. The picture on the listing was blurred, but the price was right, and I took the chance on her as a compliment to the button, Winter. She arrived in perfect condition, in need only of a light buffing with a cotton cloth to remove old polish, which thankfully, hadn't destroyed her patina (It's best not to polish brass or metal buttons, but to carefully buff them). She is Minerva, goddess of wisdom, and patron of industry, agriculture and the arts. Note her dolphin helmet, the sheaves of wheat in her hair, and the head of Medusa worn at her breast. The pierced (openwork) button is in two parts. It is difficult to tell from the picture, but the brass Minerva is inset into silver metal.

Image and Text © 2009 Anne AKA Once Upon A Button

Four Seasons: Winter

~ Winter ~

Art Nouveau

Brass, NBS Medium

~ Winter ~

Back View

This fantastic button is said to be one of four seasons, but I've never seen the other three. The detail is exceptional, and the slightly concave button is only about 1" wide. The patina is the original finish, plus a hundred years of "mellowing." The button is made of brass, with silver gilt at her shoulder and near her face. I love the way her hood and her hair blend with the woods, the knowing expression on her face, and her bewildering agelessness. Is she girl or woman?

Image and Text © 2009 Anne AKA Once Upon A Button

Woman With Swirling Hair

~ Woman With Swirling Hair ~

Art Nouveau

Brass, NBS Medium

~ Woman With Swirling Hair ~
Back View

My nickname for this button is: Desire. I've viewed this button from many angles and in various qualities of light. Her expression is always slightly secretive, always seductive, and joyful. Sometimes her eyes appear shut, other times half closed. One wonders, when the artist created her, if he (or she) had a particular woman in mind. Some button art was inspired by a known painting or illustration. If anyone has any information about this button design, its artist, or its manufacturer, please let me know. The seller identified it as antique, and Art Nouveau. I actually own two of this button in excellent condition, and another with all of its one hundred year old patina, sadly, removed.

Image and Text © 2009 Anne AKA Once Upon A Button