Pin cushion of cream silk brocaded with silver flowers, decorated with a large spray of flowers and four corner sprigs in thick, loose-headed pins, left sticking ^1/4" out of the cushion. The back is heavily marked with pin-holes but they do not appear to have formed either an inscription or a pattern.

The storing of pins had always been a concern for needlewomen as they were an expensive and prozed commodity, used not only for sewing but also for fastening clothing in the days preceding hooks and eyes. The fashion of commemorative pincushions was a luxurious way of keeping pins, as the patterns (and very often messages) on the cushion were seldom unpinned. The various subjects for such cushions included marriages, betrothals, patriotic messages or particular events of national significance.
Commemorative pincushions of English origin were generally made of white satin, sometimes quilted, or brocaded silks ornamented with metal thread and tassels.
The availability of cheaper pins lessened the importance of pincushions in a needlewoman's array of tools. Apart from those commemorating grand occasions (such as Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897) the majority of pincushions produced in the nineteenth century were functional, though still decorative in accordance with Victorian taste.