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 The industry this material created flourished for about 100 years until superseded by electroplating in the 1840s.
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 The industry this material created flourished for about 100 years until superseded by electroplating in the 1840s.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
| Category | |
| 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 |
|
| Style | |
| Production type | Mass 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 The industry this material created flourished for about 100 years until superseded by electroplating in the 1840s.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 created | September 25, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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