For sale is a late 1800s WALCOTT BUTTON-HOLE CUTTER from the Walcott Brothers Company, Boston, Massachusetts. This working antique tool has the company name inscribed near the round pivot screw and was patented in 1852. The tool has a sliding brass piece marked from 1/4″ to 3/4″ to cut button holes to desired size. This is a very rare tool, made more than 150 years ago that still works as if it were new. The tool measures about 6 inches long. A rare collectible tool.
Before the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was very common for most Americans to make their own clothes. As late as 1791, a report by Alexander Hamilton noted that two-thirds to four-fifths of all clothing worn by Americans was made at home. The practice declined significantly by the mid-20th century due to the rise of mass-produced, ready-to-wear garments.
