Layette Pincushion
1862 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Layette pincushions were given as presents to women who had newly or recently born babies. They were in theory useful as well as symbolic, because baby clothes in the UK were often fastened with ordinary pins until the successful marketing of the safety pin in the 1870s.
In some areas it was considered very unlucky to give the pincushion before the birth: not only was this over confidence that the outcome would be successful, but there was a superstition about pins and birth pain. 'For every pin a pain' and 'More pins, more pain' were traditional sayings, and some women would remove all the pins, no matter how elaborate the pattern.
In some areas it was considered very unlucky to give the pincushion before the birth: not only was this over confidence that the outcome would be successful, but there was a superstition about pins and birth pain. 'For every pin a pain' and 'More pins, more pain' were traditional sayings, and some women would remove all the pins, no matter how elaborate the pattern.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Layette pincushion of pink silk, stuck with pins to read 'Bless the Babe and Save the Mother/ 1862', made in the UK 1862 |
| Physical description | Square pincushion of pink silk, edged with a russet silk fringe. The front of the pincushion is worked with Victorian gothic lettering in pins, and the corners and edges are decorated with pins. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions | Bless the Babe
and
Save the Mother
1862 |
| Credit line | Given by Miss Beryl Hinton |
| Object history | Given by Beryl Hinton |
| Summary | Layette pincushions were given as presents to women who had newly or recently born babies. They were in theory useful as well as symbolic, because baby clothes in the UK were often fastened with ordinary pins until the successful marketing of the safety pin in the 1870s. In some areas it was considered very unlucky to give the pincushion before the birth: not only was this over confidence that the outcome would be successful, but there was a superstition about pins and birth pain. 'For every pin a pain' and 'More pins, more pain' were traditional sayings, and some women would remove all the pins, no matter how elaborate the pattern. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | MISC.142-1985 |
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| Record created | March 17, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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