Damkänga från 1899 med kängknäppare - Nordiska Museet - NMA

A buttonhook is a

tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

used to facilitate the closing of

button A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, ...

shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...

glove A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves usually have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb. If there is an opening but no (or a short) covering sheath for each finger they are called fingerless gloves. Fingerless glov ...

s or other clothing. It consists of a hook fixed to a handle which may be simple or decorative as part of a dresser set or

chatelaine Chatelaine may refer to: * Chatelaine (chain), a set of short chains on a belt worn by women and men for carrying keys, thimble and/or sewing kit, etc. *Chatelaine (horse), a racehorse * ''Chatelaine'' (magazine), an English-language Canadian wom ...

. Sometimes they were given away as promotions with product

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

on the handle. To use, the hook end is inserted through the buttonhole to capture the button by the shank and draw it through the opening. Buttonhooks have other uses as well. At

Ellis Island Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mi ...

, screeners known as "buttonhook men" used buttonhooks to turn immigrants' eyelids inside out to look for signs of

trachoma Trachoma is an infectious disease caused by bacterium ''Chlamydia trachomatis''. The infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. This roughening can lead to pain in the eyes, breakdown of the outer surface or cornea of ...

Buttonhooks on display at Bedford Museum & Art Gallery

File:HornWoodButtonhooks.JPG, File:SilverHandledButtonhooks.JPG, File:TrenchArtButtonhooks.JPG, File:PocketKnifeButtonHooks.JPG,

References

External links

Silverdale Buttonhooks2013 Exhibition of Buttonhooks, Buxton Museum & Art Gallery, Buxton, Derbyshire, U.K.
Textile closures {{fashion-stub