Not currently on display at the V&A

Pin Tray

late 18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Pin trays were a useful sewing accessory for providing a ready supply of pins for the busy seamstress. They usually took the form of a miniature dish with a recessed well and a comparatively wide flange to facilitate carrying between forefinger and thumb. They could either be rectangular or oval, but this one is in the shape of an oblong octagon. The only decoration is a corded edge.

Sheffield plate originated, with the discovery in 1742, that bars of silver and copper, in unequal proportions, fused by heating under pressure, could be rolled into sheets of laminated metal and worked like silver. The industry this material created flourished for about 100 years until superseded by electroplating in the 1840s.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Sheffield plate
Brief description
Pin tray, Sheffield plate, late 18th century, English.
Physical description
Oblong octagonal, the rim with corded border.
Dimensions
  • Length: 11.43cm
  • Width: 8.88cm
Style
Production typeMass produced
Credit line
Lt. Col. G. B. Croft-Lyons Bequest
Production
Reason For Production: Retail
Summary
Pin trays were a useful sewing accessory for providing a ready supply of pins for the busy seamstress. They usually took the form of a miniature dish with a recessed well and a comparatively wide flange to facilitate carrying between forefinger and thumb. They could either be rectangular or oval, but this one is in the shape of an oblong octagon. The only decoration is a corded edge.

Sheffield plate originated, with the discovery in 1742, that bars of silver and copper, in unequal proportions, fused by heating under pressure, could be rolled into sheets of laminated metal and worked like silver. The industry this material created flourished for about 100 years until superseded by electroplating in the 1840s.
Collection
Accession number
M.468-1926

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Record createdSeptember 25, 2002
Record URL
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