Chatelaines

First, Gretchen H and timaru star ii, you ladies both guessed correctly that the strand of feather beads was the real, made in the 1700s, piece in my 18th century jewelry. Send me your mailing addresses and I will pop a little something into the mail for you! horsiemama8@gmail.com

Recently when I showed you the 18th century assortment of jewelry that I was considering taking to Kalamazoo, I showed a photo of my chatelaine. Here are some interesting facts and photos about chatelaines.

Chatelaines were not only useful, but they were symbols of power and status as well. Hung on the waistband of her petticoat, the senior woman in a household would suspend the keys to the pantry, doors, desks, and other things in the home. No other woman was allowed to carry those keys. Lesser women might also wear chatelaines with necessary items on them such as a mirror, needle case, and more. Chatelaines have been dated as far back as 3,000 BC.

My Chatelaine (pronounced "sha-tel-lane" with the accent on the last syllable.)

Made of pewter, my chatelaine sports a French fleur-de-lis and has five chains for carrying accoutrements.

While the chatelaine is pewter, the accoutrements are sterling silver.

A needle case (that has lost its top.)

A pill or snuff container. 

I've been known to put Tylenol in there, but never snuff!

A tiny mirror.

I need to talk to Rick - he's a silversmith and could tell me what some of the numbers on these pieces mean. (There is one on the handle of the mirror.)

A locket

I never have gotten around to adding a photo to it. 18th century women would have placed a painted miniature in theirs or perhaps a lock of hair from a loved one.

A sachet holder.

Inside was a piece of silk puff that can be perfumed. The puff is in my sewing case - this piece does not stay shut and I don't want to lose the silk puff.

My chatelaine was a gift from my mother in the 1990s and I treasure it. However, it is only the beginning when it comes to chatelaines. My mother had two very impressive ones and I inherited them both. Here is the first one.

Mom's Chatelaine 1

When I first received this chatelaine, I only recognized the locket and the keys - I had no idea what the other three pieces were.

The chatelaine is sterling and clearly hand made. (See how close some of the holes for the chains come to the edges? The not-quite symmetry at the top?)

A sterling silver spoon has been used to form the hook that is slipped over the waistband of the petticoat. (I have visions of the silversmith's grandmother setting her table for the holidays and finding herself missing a spoon!) 

Using spoons in this manner was actually very common (if a little frustrating for those spoon owners, haha!)

What was this? I wiggled the top thinking it might come off but it didn't.

 It actually unscrewed.

Out came a tiny wand with a flattened end, and with it came my tears. I knew what this was - I could smell it. The scent of Emeraude, my mother's favorite perfume, wafted out along with that wand. It was a perfume bottle!

My mother wore that scent her entire life and she must've filled that little flask with it years ago. I let the tears fall and felt like my mother was right next to me, smiling that I was enjoying her chatelaines so much.

This beautiful cloisonné locket was next. I was a bit dismayed to discover that my mother had taped it shut!

I didn't want to damage the finish, but I was curious as to what might be inside (especially after opening that perfume flask!) When I finally (and carefully) picked all the tape off, the locket opened and was empty. 

This piece piqued my curiosity, but in retrospect I should have been able to guess what it was.

I found the clasp on the side,

lifted it,

and saw green velvet with gold hoops inside.

Stork scissors! And in beautiful condition, too. Stork scissors have been used for hundreds of years and can still be purchased now.

This little piece that was chained to the scissors case?

It locks the scissors case closed and keeps it from falling open so you don't lose your scissors.

Keys! My mother portrayed a lady of the house and so of course she would carry keys! (No surprise, between the keys and that scissors case, this chatelaine is quite heavy.)

At first I thought that this last piece must be the needle case to accompany the scissors case. However those would be awfully long needles inside it. It didn't make sense until I opened it.

A bodkin! A sewing tool that is still used today and is very easy to lose track of. (I had three, but I lost my favorite one this year at Kalamazoo. I am hoping that Lisa will find it still attached to the twill tape on her stays.)

Bodkins are like giant needles; you thread twill tape or ribbon through that big eye on the end and then use it to lace up your stays, run ribbon through casings, and more. 

I'm saving the best of the chatelaines for last. My mom had one more and when I opened the tissue paper that it was wrapped in, my jaw dropped.

I think yours might, too.

Stay 'tooned!