Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Silver, Room 67, The Whiteley Galleries

Thimble

1780-1820 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Thimbles are worn on the index finger while sewing, to protect it from the sharp needle point. Decorated thimbles have been produced since at least the 1500s. Employed to create the fashionable clothing of the day, sewing equipment such as thimbles also reflected modern styles in their own design and manufacture. This example has a row of flowers in sharp relief at its base similar to bright-cut engraving on other larger pieces of silver. The top of this thimble is fitted with a piece of cornelian, a brownish-red semi-precious mineral.

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read Women's tie-on pockets The development of 'tie-on' pockets during the 17th century was a defining moment for women, providing an extremely popular detachable accessory for carrying their possessions, similar to the function of handbags today.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver, chased and set with a cornelian
Brief description
Silver, set with a cornelian, probably English, unmarked, ca. 1780-1820
Physical description
Silver, set with a cornelian. The rim of the thimble has a rolled moulding separated from a broad band of guilloche ornamentation by a narrow hatched band. The pitted upper section bears an escutcheon with the initials NP. The cornelian is set into the top of ther thimble.
Dimensions
  • Height: 203cm (Taken from Register)
Marks and inscriptions
NP (Ownership initials)
Credit line
Given by Miss Catherine Rachem
Historical context
Thimbles are worn on the index finger while sewing, to protect it from the sharp needle point. Decorated thimbles have been produced since at least the 1500s. Before the advent of factory-produced clothing, sewing, knitting and other textile crafts were important skills, especially for women. Thimbles were often given to women as sentimental gifts as they symbolised female industriousness and virtue. Many simply displayed an attractive pattern, while others commemorated personal events, such as marriage, and public occasions like royal coronations.

Until 1870, married women in Britain were legally unable to own property independently of their husbands. Small, portable objects, such as those shown here, were often the only things they could call their own. Many were highly decorative and intricately made. Some had personal or romantic significance, or indicated the wealth and status of their owners. This example is engraved with the initials NP in a crest on the side.

Employed to create the fashionable clothing of the day, sewing equipment such as thimbles also reflected modern styles in their own design and manufacture. This example has a row of flowers in sharp relief at its base similar to bright cut engraving on other larger pieces of silver. The top of this thimble is fitted with a piece of cornelian, a brownish-red semi-precious mineral.

The history of home sewing ebbed and flowed with the history of manufacturing and mass production. Until the late 1600s, hand tools such as thimbles and scissors were produced by skilled artisans in small workshops. During the eighteenth century, advances in industry encouraged the growth of larger factories that could produce these goods in greater numbers and to a more consistent standard. This brought their cost down and put them within reach of a much wider market. Small and intricate sewing equipment in brass, steel, silver and ormolu (gilt bronze) was sold alongside jewellery, buckles and other 'toys'. Ironically, it was the efficiency and quality of mass production that would eventually decrease demand for sewing tools, as factory-made clothing and linen replaced home-sewn goods in the late nineteenth century.
Summary
Thimbles are worn on the index finger while sewing, to protect it from the sharp needle point. Decorated thimbles have been produced since at least the 1500s. Employed to create the fashionable clothing of the day, sewing equipment such as thimbles also reflected modern styles in their own design and manufacture. This example has a row of flowers in sharp relief at its base similar to bright-cut engraving on other larger pieces of silver. The top of this thimble is fitted with a piece of cornelian, a brownish-red semi-precious mineral.
Collection
Accession number
M.22-1974

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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