Hats replaced bonnets as headgear for women around the 1890s and hat pins were needed to secure the hats firmly; they were essential for the larger hats worn around 1910–12. The hat-pin industry expanded rapidly, producing pins of many materials, styles and qualities. Hat pins were necessary for everyday wear as well as for sports and motoring. Suffragettes used them as offensive weapons and were not allowed to wear them when they appeared in court. By-laws prohibited hat pins from being worn with protruding unprotected points and contemporary cartoons poked fun at their use.
Hats replaced bonnets as headgear for women around the 1890s and hat pins were needed to secure the hats firmly; they were essential for the larger ha...
A growing population in the mid-nineteenth century and a wealthier middle class, combined with an increased social awareness, greater literacy, better travel facilities, inventiveness and cheaper production through mechanization, all helped to increase demand for male fashion accessories. Men wished to balance the sobriety of their clothing: if fashion dictated drab coloring, all they could do was to add ornament; hence, gentlemen came to display a selection of male jewelry.
The highlight of these accessories was the watch chain or albert with its attachments: watch-keys, seals, fobs,...
A growing population in the mid-nineteenth century and a wealthier middle class, combined with an increased social awareness, greater literacy, bet...
