~Charles Dickens
What's a chatelaine?
a set of short chains attached to a woman's belt, used for carrying keys or other items.One thing I read said women used these practical, beautiful items because they had no pockets.
Portrait of a Young Girl standing in an interior and holding a bunch of roses. She wears a lace apron and a gold chatelaine hanging from a gold ropework belt.
Early 17th century
Chatelaine
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
This cut steel chatelaine was worn by ladies to hold important household items such as keys, scissors and thimbles.
Design for a Chatelaine with Watch
By Alexis Falize (1811 - 1898)
French late 18th century chatelaine
A sewing chatelaine for sale on Etsy
Another chatelaine for sale
Chatelaine for a doll
Very cool accessories. I especially like the chatelaine from the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. It has very practical carabiner-type hooks!
ReplyDeleteThese are great. My daughter is always complaining that women's clothes don't have proper pockets. I will show her these.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool collection, Tabatha. So much ornate work for such a practical accessory.
ReplyDeleteYour post reminded me of a scene in Bleak House, when the heroine Esther is thrilled to receive the set of keys to run her employer/admirer's house.
These are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad was a bus driver and plant manager at my elementary school, and I LOVED his keys, but they would have looked MUCH better on one of these chatelaine key fobs!