Glove tools in history - button hook

Women in the Victoria era would not be seen in public without their gloves. At this time, however, gloves were made to fit so tightly that assistance was needed in buttoning their gloves.

And so, the button hook was used...

The steel button hook was quite often attached to a handle that was either quite decorative (as above) or simple. The hook is inserted through the buttonhole to grasp the button shank (the metal loop on the back of a button). The button is then drawn through the buttonhole, closing the glove.