POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Label for didactic display of pearl shell manufacture.

Label for didactic display of pearl shell manufacture.

Object No. 10007-7

This object is part of a collection which illustrates how pearl shell was made into pearl buttons in Sydney in the 1930s. The display was given to the Museum by The Pearlbutton Manufacturing Company of Foster Street, Sydney, in 1933. Pearl divers in places such as Thursday Island, Broome and Port Darwin harvested the Golden Lip pearl shell, (Pinctada maxima), from which the buttons were made. The shell was shipped to the Sydney factory for production. After cutting the button shaped pieces from the shell, the 'blanks' were then split to an even thickness, an operation performed by hand and one requiring considerable judgement and skill. Buttons made from pearl shell were valued because they were durable and retained their lustre unaffected by washing. After World War II, plastics replaced pearl shell as the preferred material for buttons. The Torres Strait supplied over half the world demand for pearl shell in the 1890s. In addition to buttons, pearl shell was used for cutlery, hair combs, jewellery, decorative objects and inlay for furniture. The Powerhouse Museum collection includes a variety of objects made from pearl shell.

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Summary

Object Statement

Didactic display label, pearl shell label, paper, maker unknown, Sydney, Australia, 1875-1885

Physical Description

Rectangular cardboard label used as part of the didactic display of pearl shell manufacture.

DIMENSIONS

Height

50 mm

HISTORY

Notes

Part of didactic display used to illustrate the manufacture of pearl buttons from Australian pearl shell, as occurred in Sydney between 1875 and1885.

SOURCE

Acquisition Date

19 August 1885

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