Gilding the Lily — Buttons and other Ornaments

Buttons are small, functional, everyday objects—yet their design and material may signify changes in fashion as well as testify to one's economic and social status. Making the small button the “hero” of an exhibition is a somewhat subversive act, seeking to grant it unusual attention. Collecting buttons is an act of passion, almost an obsession. The exhibition presents thousands of buttons from private collections as well as other tiny ornaments.