Always One Button Short: The Buttons of Edward Gorey

A master of the mysterious, Edward Gorey’s artworks and writings abound with misadventures, oddities, and oblique humor. His forays into experimental theater follow suit, and to much delight, he designed pin-back buttons to accompany them. Now coveted by collectors, these bespoke buttons--created as souvenirs for the plays, puppet shows, revues, and other ＂entertainments＂ that Gorey wrote, designed, or directed--possess a curiosity factor disproportionate to their small size. With each button Gorey fashioned, he put the wearer at the center of a memory, a recollection of a particular place and time. Always One Button Short showcases a selection of Gorey’s compact creations, researched and photographed by noted Gorey collector Jonas Ploeger. Kevin McDermott, longtime Gorey collaborator and author of Elephant House; or, The Home of Edward Gorey (Pomegranate), introduces the collection with a personal essay, recalling the history and meaning of his own Gorey button.