Hair Ornament
before 1868 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This hair pin formerly belonged to Captain Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy (1836-1910). It was donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum by his goddaughter in 1936. Speedy was an army officer and colonial official. In 1860 he travelled to Ethiopia to assist the emperor Tewodros II (Theodore) with military training. Speedy returned in 1868, this time as civilian interpreter to a British military expedition aimed at releasing British subjects held hostage by Tewodros. The expedition ended with the capture of the emperor’s fortress at Maqdala (Magdala), but not before Tewodros had committed suicide. The following death of his wife, Queen Woyzaro Terunesh, left an orphan son, Prince Dejatch Alamayou, whom the Amharic-speaking Captain became guardian to.
It is unclear how Speedy acquired the hair pin, which would have been worn by an Ethiopian woman. A report of the expedition produced by the Illustrated London News noted that ‘ornamental hairpins are [amongst] the fashionable decorations of the female sex’ (1868).
It is unclear how Speedy acquired the hair pin, which would have been worn by an Ethiopian woman. A report of the expedition produced by the Illustrated London News noted that ‘ornamental hairpins are [amongst] the fashionable decorations of the female sex’ (1868).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver gilt |
| Brief description | Hair ornament, silver forked pin, Ethiopia, before 1868. |
| Physical description | Hair ornament, forked pin terminating in roundels and filigree beads from which conical pendants are suspended by tiny chains. The end is formed by a filigree sphere surmounted by a cross. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by Mrs Henry Perrin |
| Object history | Accessions register entry: 'Hair-ornament. Silver, parcel-gilt. Abyssinian; 19th century. A forked wire pin with a head formed of roundels and filigree beads between two rows of small chains with [15 - one missing] conical bells: end formed of a filigree beads surmounted by a cross. / Gift. Mrs Henry Perrin, 23 Holland Villas Road, Kensington, W.14. ' Displayed in "V and A Africa: Exploring Hidden Histories" 15th November 2012- 3rd February 2013 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | This hair pin formerly belonged to Captain Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy (1836-1910). It was donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum by his goddaughter in 1936. Speedy was an army officer and colonial official. In 1860 he travelled to Ethiopia to assist the emperor Tewodros II (Theodore) with military training. Speedy returned in 1868, this time as civilian interpreter to a British military expedition aimed at releasing British subjects held hostage by Tewodros. The expedition ended with the capture of the emperor’s fortress at Maqdala (Magdala), but not before Tewodros had committed suicide. The following death of his wife, Queen Woyzaro Terunesh, left an orphan son, Prince Dejatch Alamayou, whom the Amharic-speaking Captain became guardian to. It is unclear how Speedy acquired the hair pin, which would have been worn by an Ethiopian woman. A report of the expedition produced by the Illustrated London News noted that ‘ornamental hairpins are [amongst] the fashionable decorations of the female sex’ (1868). |
| Other number | MET.LOST.318 - Previous LOST number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.444-1936 |
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| Record created | February 26, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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