Artefact of the Week Series: Small but Mighty, Turpin’s Island’s Bone Button!

Our recent archaeological excavations on Turpin’s Island have unburied a fascinating bone button! This artefact, perhaps dating from the 19th to 20th centuries, serves as a link to the complex history of European colonization and trade in Newfoundland. Although we do not know its exact origin yet, the button opens the narrative, connecting the various settlers to Turpin’s Island.

Fig. 1 Bone Button from Test Pit #46

Bone buttons are some of the oldest types of garment fasteners. This small but mighty fastener was discovered in a test pit where Edward and Lucy Turpin’s house once stood, indicating a connection to Newfoundland settlements from the 19th to the 20th century. Bone buttons, often crafted from the remains of terrestrial or marine mammals, were a common item in the clothing of early settlers. They were primarily made from the shinbones of various animals and were inexpensive to produce, which allowed anyone with a dead animal and basic tools to create them. Settlers may have crafted these buttons in their homes and used a lathe to cut a circular tube into the bone, which would then be individually shaped into a button.

The bone button found on Turpin’s Island at Turpin’s House may reflect the English influence, particularly in their craftsmanship and design. These buttons often feature multiple holes, a characteristic that aligns with the sewing techniques used, particularly for utilitarian garments. A button with two button holes were sew through buttons, used for men’s underwear and pant flies. Bone buttons with more than two button holes or decorations were used for stylistic purposes and were intended for fancier clothing.

The study of these bone buttons is not merely an exploration of fashion; it is a window into the socio-economic dynamics of early colonial life on Turpin’s Island. Many features related to clothing styles do not survive in the archaeological record due to their fragile composition. Still, bone buttons are an exception, surviving long enough to allow curious archaeologists to understand the historic daily wear of their time. As we continue to analyze these artefacts, they contribute to a broader understanding of Turpin's Island's rich archaeological heritage!

Fig. 2 Team bone button (Adam and Sam)

References:

Marcel, Sarah

1994     Buttoning Down the Past: A Look at Buttons as Indicators of Buttoning Down the Past: A Look at Buttons as Indicators of Chronology and Material Culture Chronology and Material Culture. https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?params=/context/utk_chanhonoproj/article/1042/&path_info=Marcel_Sarah_1994.pdf 

Venovcevs, Anatolijs 

Anatolijs Venovcevs Dress for Life and Death The Archaeology of Common Nineteenth-Century Buttons. https://www.fitp.ca/articles/FITPXXIII/Buttons_for_Life_and_Death_slides.pdf 

Author: Maya Loredo