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MOP(Mother of Pearl) Buttons and the Pearly Kings and Queens
Jeri
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The pearly kings and queens preparing for the London New Years Day Parade, 2008.
A Pearly King (feminine form Pearly Queen) is a person dressed in a traditional cockney costume covered in mother-of-pearl buttons. These costumes were treasured heirlooms, hand made and sometime representing much of a family's material worth.
The pearlies derived from London costermongers who sewed pearl buttons onto their clothing. An orphan costermonger named Henry Croft collected any pearl buttons that had fallen off others' clothes and covered his clothing with them. Modern pearlies no devote their time to charitable activities
The patterns used on pearly coats, which sometimes run in families, have special meanings, among them:
* Horseshoe = Luck
* Doves = Peace
* Heart = Charity
* Anchor = Hope
* Cross = Faith
* Wheel = Coster's barrow
* Symbols of Playing Cards = Life is a gamble
* Flower Pots = Costermongers
* Donkey Carts = Costermongers
London New Years Parade 2008 (Set)
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Part of: Events
Pearly Kings & Queens (Pool)
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London New Years Day Parade 2008!
Pearly kings and queens
Mother of pearl
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SO WHAT DO YOU THINK??? ME LOVED IT!!
Views: 5
Replies to This Post
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Permalink Reply by Larisa on -
wow!!! i wish i had just one mother-of-pearl button lol
i never seen anything like that. what other people do!!!!! its great!!!! -
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Permalink Reply by Jeri on -
Hi Larisa!
I plan on researching more about the Pearly Kings and Queens.I would like info on about how many buttons might be on 1 outfit and who did the sewing(are they able to pay someone else) LOL and how long it takes.
I have a few creative ideas of my own now as a result of their design work though.I guess I have to set aside a large MOP button fund aside!!! -
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Permalink Reply by Kathleen Loose on
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Piecework magazine had an article about the Pearly kings and queens. While I had to get rid of most of my Piecework magazines when we recently moved, I did go to the Piecework magazine website and in their indexes found that the article was in the July/August 1997 issue, starting on page 26.
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Permalink Reply by Jeri on
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Thanks Kathleen!
I'll try and track it down and perhaps embellish a bit more about this fascinating group!!
I'd love to head across the big sea and watch this day's events...
They look like a fun and kooky group of folks :-)
Jeri -
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Permalink Reply by Mary Ellen Edwards on -
WOW This is great. I had no idea. Thanks so much for the pics and information. I have a pattern for a purse all covered with white buttons. I better get started on it NOW! Thanks again. Mary Ellen
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Permalink Reply by Mary Harris on -
I never realized so many people did so much work with buttons. When an older woman asked if I could do something with her buttons I told her I would try and think of something. At the time I was doing beading with jewelry. I wasn't too crafty with the seed beads though. I had lots of magazines and books to show me how to do it but I guess I just didn't have the patience to do it at the time.
That is alot of work doing all the designs that they made on the outfits in the above photos. That is crazy! -
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Permalink Reply by VICKY plum on -
Thanks for this! I'm researching the history of buttons so its bound to be useful for me!
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