One of the things that I never thought to visit in my life, was a Destro Botones Museum (Button Museum) and unless it would fascinate me.
Its charm lies in the variety of materials and design.
It is incredible how man has used his ingenuity to create them, depending on the circumstances in which they were.
The museum is in a house in the Residencial El Bosque and the visit is guided by its owner, Amanda Destro, you can see the passion and love she has for this museum.
The buttons are organized according to
- Material (plastic, vegetable origin, animal, metal, precious stones, glass),
- periods (Victorian, Art Deco, world war, before Jesus Christ),
- designs (children’s, black, fashion house),
- sizes (large for coats, medium, for wrist),
- shapes,
- countries
- and there are also some very rare.
The most interesting
Of those that most caught my attention are, one made with buttermilk, another with human hair and others made by hand.
Some have a mirror inside, perhaps to make some kind of effect with the rays of the sun or lights, others have designs even on the back.
Well, let’s go back to human hair buttons, it is certainly one of the rarest, but it has a logic to exist.
Imagine that you are many decades ago, you wear a lot of clothes (you can see your face in a miracle), it is hot and there is no deodorant, it is a time when neither you nor I want to be hahaha.
But these people had to manage to hide certain little smells, and well.
It turns out that human hair absorbs odors and keeps them for a long time, then perfume was placed on these buttons and thus people had a better aroma.
On the other hand, one of those that most attracts the attention of young people is a replica of a Bilbo button, from the movie The Hobbit, there is also another that seems to be from Batman.
I do not know if you knew, when Queen Victoria lost her husband she decided to wear black for life, to represent her pain, thus the color of mourning was born.
At that time her buttons were made of black glass and had cut designs that they made the lights shine.
Then, years later, Coco Chanel, decided to take it with a color of elegance and added details of glitter to the buttons, giving it glamor.
Destro Buttons museum is very well organized, I did not think I would be so surprised, it is small but it is beautiful, they even have a magnifying glass so you can see them better.
How did the Destro Buttons Museum come about?
When Amanda’s grandmother died, she left a lot of memories, including boxes with buttons, they saw that they were rare and attracted attention.
Amanda’s mother had the idea of making a collection, and they began to receive button donations (in Panama, our grandmothers kept the buttons in cookie tin boxes, what’s more, my grandmother always bought buttons in case she needed them one day, so when you go to see there are hundreds).
Over time the collection became a museum. If you have buttons and you don’t know what to do with them, you can take them.
They also have a small room available to anyone who wants to have a temporary exhibition.
Note
The museum is on the 2nd level and there is no elevator, however, for people with reduced mobility, they offer the Mobile Exhibition, where a copy of the museum is brought to the ground floor.
They also have the Museum for the Blind, where people with little or nothing visibility can appreciate the buttons.
Hours
- There is no set hours, you just have to call to coordinate the visit and they can assist you.
Price
- Free. However, you can make a donation to cover the expenses of the Museum.
Where is Destro Botones Museum?
Botones Museum is in Panama, in Residencial El Bosque, Las Acacias street. The museum is not signposted, nor does it have a sign.
How to get to Destro Botones Museum?
Take Ricardo J. Alfaro Street (Tumba Muerto) and enter through El Bosque (Las Palmeras street), at the fork turn right, and then left.
Botones Museum is on the left-hand, about 100 m after the Personitas del Mañana School. You can use Google Maps.
If you go by bus you should get off at Tumba Muerto in Linda Vista -R or El Bosque- 1 stop (it depends on whether you are traveling from the East or the West) and then walk, approximately 1.3km.
Contact
- Amanda Destro: 230.1974 or 6926.7492.
- Website Destro Botones Museum (information in Spanish, English and Italian).
Updated: 2020.
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