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Municipal State School №7 of Sarov, Nizhegorodsky region The little things history Made by Five Stars* *Students: Zubova Sofia, Bazovaya Alena, Pozdiaeva Maria, Turutina Anastasia, Demidov Mihail Teachers: Lysenko Alla Ivanovna, Dementieva Irina Vladimirovna
About Us: We are Five Stars from Municipal State School №7 of Sarov, Nizhegorodsky region. Our book is about buttons. These little things you face every day. They hold the pieces of your clothes together. They became a part of our lives. sTART WITH BUTTONS SONG CONTENT: The small invention................................2 BuTtons in art, culture and traditions of the world.........................3 creepy buttons..........................................5 1
Buttons appeared a very long time ago. Archaeologists have found button-like objects made from shells that are about 5,000 years old — for example, in the Indus Valley (the Mohenjo-daro civilization). However, they were most likely not used for fastening clothing but as ornaments or seals. The small invention Just a hundred years ago, there was a rather amusing custom in England: girls would start collecting the most beautiful buttons on a string or a coarse thread from an early age. When they grew up, and the number of buttons reached 999, the day would come when they were supposed to meet their betrothed. For a long time, clothing was fastened differently — with belts, fibula-clasps (as among the ancient Greeks and Romans), and ties. The button as an actual fastener, passed through a loop, became widespread in Europe around the 13th century — it's believed this technique came from the Middle East or Germany in the late Middle Ages. That was when clothing became more fitted, and buttons with loops turned out to be a convenient solution. There is a myth that buttons on men’s and women’s clothing should be fastened on different sides. Men’s shirts are fastened from left to right, while women’s are fastened from right to left. The origin of this myth is ambiguous: some associate it with the fact that men dressed themselves and were right‑handed, while others link it to the military tradition of quickly drawing weapons. 2
BuTtons in art, culture and traditions of the world A button is not only a part of our everyday clothing but also an object that inspires poets, writers, sculptors, artists, musicians, and film directors to create true masterpieces of art. For “The Tale of Tsar Saltan,” many custom-made buttons were created — a painstaking task that required meticulous attention to detail. This meticulous work is now visible on the big screens: every element of the costume has become part of a cohesive artistic world created with the participation of St. Petersburg craftsmen. For example, you can see “Melon” buttons on Tsar Saltan’s caftan, and “Mars” buttons on Babarikha’s outfit. Nikolai Gogol’s story The Overcoat is about a poor clerk named Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin, who lives and works in St. Petersburg. One day, his old overcoat becomes so worn out that a tailor refuses to repair it. Akaky decides to save money to buy a new one and finally collects enough money. When he gets his new overcoat, he feels extremely happy and proud. However, on his way home, two thieves attack Akaky and steal his overcoat. He asks the police and an important official for help, but nobody takes his problem seriously. The official speaks to him rudely, and Akaky becomes ill. Soon, he dies. The button in the story is a small but meaningful detail of Akaky’s clothing. It represents his overcoat, which becomes the most important thing in his life. The button in the story is a small but meaningful detail of Akaky's clothing. It represents his overcoat, which becomes the most important thing in his life. The button also shows how ordinary objects can have great personal value 3
Musicians from different countries around the world dedicated their works to the button at different times. These are songs about happy or unhappy love, about how a button can sometimes even be a button that activates an alarm. Listen this song! V. A. Tropinin “Portrait of Sergei Sergeyevich Kushnikov”, 1828. Source: Museum of V. A. Tropinin and Moscow Artists of His Time When the museum’s founder Felix Vishnevsky acquired this portrait signed by Tropinin, the name of the official depicted in it raised questions. Two details helped determine that it was Sergei Sergeyevich Kushnikov — the nephew of the historian Karamzin, a senator, Suvorov’s favorite adjutant, vice-governor of Moscow and civil governor of St. Petersburg: a rare foreign order and a uniform with “speaking” buttons. Japanese "Second Button" Tradition ! Art objects in public space. Sometimes a button is brought "out into the street." A striking example is an art object in Brest: a huge button (more than three meters in diameter) from the uniform of a local lamplighter. It has become a symbol of light and hope, and a city legend is connected with it: if you rub such a button, the wish you make will come true. At Japanese high schools, boys wear a uniform jacket (gakuran) with several buttons down the front. On graduation day, it's traditional for a boy to give the second button from the top of his jacket to a girl he has feelings for. 4
creepy Buttons! Listen to Coraline’s playlist Coraline, the 2009 stop-motion film directed by Henry Selick and based on Neil Gaiman's novella, is a dark fantasy about a young girl who discovers a parallel version of her life through a hidden door in her new home. In this "Other World," everything seems more vibrant and attentive than in her real life — her Other Mother cooks delicious meals, her Other Father writes enchanting music, and everyone seems to adore her completely. The film's most striking and unsettling visual element is its use of buttons. Instead of eyes, every inhabitant of the Other World has black buttons sewn onto their faces. This detail transforms an ordinary household object into a symbol of horror. The buttons represent artificiality and control — they suggest that the Other World's inhabitants aren't truly alive but are instead crafted, doll-like beings meant to lure Coraline into staying forever. 5
watch this moment and answer the questions The true horror emerges when the Other Mother offers Coraline a choice: to stay in this seemingly perfect world forever, she must let buttons be sewn onto her own eyes. This request reveals the sinister nature of the Other Mother's affection — it isn't love, but possession. Losing her real eyes for buttons would mean losing her ability to see the truth, becoming another lifeless doll in the Other Mother's collection. Throughout the film, buttons also appear in smaller details — as eyes for dolls, decorative elements, and reminders of the choice Coraline must ultimately refuse. This motif cleverly ties into deeper themes of the story: the danger of trading authenticity for comfort, and the importance of seeing the world (and the people in it) clearly, flaws and all. The Button Choice Scene — Quiz! 1 What does the Other Mother ask Coraline to give up in order to stay in the Other World forever? 2 3 How does the Other Mother present the button choice to Coraline? a) As a punishment for disobedience b) As a frightening threat c) As a friendly, almost casual offer, like picking out a small accessory d) As something only adults are allowed to choose What does Coraline see when she is shown the different button options? a) Buttons of various colors and sizes to choose from b) A single golden button c) Buttons shaped like stars d) Buttons that glow in the dark a) Her voice b) Her real eyes c) Her memories d) Her name 4 How does Coraline react to the idea of having buttons sewn onto her eyes? a) She is excited and agrees immediately b) She is horrified and refuses c) She asks for more time to think it over d) She doesn't understand what is being asked 5 What does the button-eyes request symbolically represent in the story? a) A rite of passage into adulthood b) Loss of identity and the trade of authenticity for false comfort c) A magical power-up for Coraline d) A test of physical strength Check yourself: 1 - b) Her real eyes; 2 - c) As a friendly, almost casual offer, like picking out a small accessory; 3 - a) Buttons of various colors and sizes to choose from; 4 - b) She is horrified and refuses; 5 - b) Loss of identity and the trade of authenticity for false comfort; 6