Mastery of Design: A Doll's Earrings, 1690-1700

Earrings made for the Lady Clapham Doll
England, 1690-1700
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This set of mismatched earrings belonged to a doll.  The Lady Clapham doll--the be exact.  The Lord and Lady Clapham Dolls were made in the Seventeenth Century for the Cockerell Family--descendants of the famed diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) who first recorded Mr. Punch's presence in Covent Garden.


The dolls were outfitted with complete wardrobes and furnishings befitting full-size nobility.  Among Lady Clapham's accessories were these earrings.  The stud is made of brass and backed in silver while the more formal drop is a paste set in a silver mount.

Unusual Artifacts: Harry Randall's Dressing Case, 1840-60

Dressing Case of Harry Randall
1840-60
This and all related images from the
Victoria & Albert Museum

This dressing case was used by the leading music hall comic and “pantomime dame” Harry Randall (1860-1932) as a make-up box. The fine quality of the box and its handsome fittings mark of the status that Randall reached as a performer. Curiously, this was the only personal possession of Harry Randall's that was preserved by his family.

Randall's first professional appearance was in 1884 at Deacon's Music Hall in Islington. He was very close friends with champion dancer Dan Leno and, like Leno, Randall became known for his comedy character songs and his pantomime dames, several of which he performed in pantomimes with Leno. He became so well known that his name was used in the rhyming slang for 'candles' which became known as “Harry Randalls,” or simply “Harrys.”

The wooden dressing case boats inlaid brass edging to the lid and sides. The lid of the box is lined with ruched and padded blue velvet, around which there is a dark blue leather border stamped with a gilt foliate pattern.


The box contains a removable wooden tray divided into six compartments, three of the compartments are lined with blue leather; two with pads of blue velvet and one without lining but with a wooden lid with a silver knob.



The tray contains a wooden lidded compartment, two small round glass jars with silver lids, a long glass tray with a pierced and chased silver lid and a compartment with indentations for tweezers, a corkscrew, a button hook, an awl, manicure scissors and a nail file with a mother-of-pearl handle. The main body of the dressing case has four deep compartments, three containing silver-lidded jars, and one empty with a wooden lid with a silver knob, similar to the wooden lid in the tray but not the same size.


The case was made in London between 1840-1860 by J.J. Mechi. It is marked:

'No.4 LEADENHALL ST. LONDON. J.J.MECHI. To prevent fraudulent imitations signs all his articles thus without which NONE ARE GENIUNE.'
'J.J.Mechi'

When the case was donated to the V&A, the donor, a relative by marriage to Harry Randall, wrote: "I am the current custodian of his travelling box in which he kept his make-up. It has been passed down through the family originating from his sister in law Mrs Annie (Nancy) Randall who was married to Alf Randall, Harry's brother. She had everything belonging to Harry Randall, his make-up box, his scrap book, his chair and his sheet music. After my Great Aunt Nancy died everything of Harry's was thrown out, except his make-up box which my father's sister kept. At this time it still had his original make in on the jars but when my father's sister died and I became the new owner of the box, all the make-up had been washed out by my aunt, unfortunately."

Unusual Artifacts: The Hermes Frog Door-knocker, 1932

Frog Door Knocker
Gertrude Hermes, 1932
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Gertrude Hermes, the designer of this attractive brass door knocker, was primarily known as a wood engraver and sculptor but she was also a notable painter, printmaker and book illustrator.

This charming frog door knocker is one of a series of doorknockers that Gertrude designed for her friends as fun gifts.  Hermes was, notably, the first woman engraver to be elected to the Royal Academy in 1963.

Hermes' preferred subjects, in sculpture and prints, were animals and children. She executed these with the same strong, but fluid, style that she has demonstrated here.

The Art of Play: A Bottle Opener Depicting Karagoz, Punch's Turkish Cousin

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Mr. Punch has many cousins throughout the world.  His Turkish counterpart is known as Karagoz.  Unlike Mr. Punch, however, Karagoz is not primarily presented as a glove puppet, he is always performed as a shadow puppet, a flat, joined figure manipulated by rods from behind a screen.  It's this method of performing which lends Karagoz his name which literally translates to "Black-Eye."  The figures were always designed so that the pupil of Karagoz's eye appeared as a black circle.  This outgoing, amorous and sometimes violet and obscene character sports a thick, curly beard and a bald head.  So, I guess he's a puppet hipster.

Karagoz's nemesis is called Hacivat who is somehow always wiser and more sophisticated than Karagoz.  He is usually represented with a neat beard and a tall pointed hat. The female characters included Karagoz and Hacivat’s wives.  A wealth of other characters added humor and complications to these farcical shows which were usually improvised.

This brass bottle opened of unknown origin and creation date represents Karagoz.  It was likely made in Turkey.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Harrods Shoe Snuffbox, c. 1870

Snuffbox, 1870-1880
The Talbot Collection at
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the Nineteenth Century, boots and shoes were symbols of good luck. So, it was only natural that trinkets and personal objects should take the form of footwear. This snuffbox, dating between 1870 and 1880, is an excellent example of that phenomenon. The box is made in the shape of a fashionable Victorian lady’s button-boot of the 1860s. It is even adorned with metal studs just like the real thing would have been. The top of the boot forms the container for the snuff.

It’s a sure thing that this box was made in England, but other similar examples were imported from France at the time. The lid of the box is missing, but it’s still quite attractive. While most collectible snuffboxes were made of golf, hardstone or precious metals, some—like these novelty boxes—were made of wood. The mahogany box has been carefully hand painted, partly ebonized, and adorned with brass stringing, brass nails in the sole and heel, and brass and mother-of-pearl buttons.

Now part of the V&A’s Talbot Hughes Collection, the box was originally donated to the V&A by Messrs. Harrods of London in 1913. 

Unusual Artifacts: A Royal Paper Clip

Paperclip
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

I'm honestly not sure of the year of creation of the prolific bent metal paperclip of which we are all so familiar.  Still, even if those things were kicking around in the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century, they'd not have been attractive enough to hold the many bits of correspondence which crossed the desk of Queen Victoria.  No, not at all.

Her Majesty the Queen much preferred paperclips with a little panache and some element of cuteness.  Hence, we have this ducky clip.  Made of cast brass, the clip depicts the head of a duck holding a crinkled leaf in its mouth.  A spring mechanism on the inside allows the beak to open to grasp paper.  It appears that the eye is set with a pearl or something like it.  The reverse of the duck is slotted to allow for the clip to be hung from a hook or pin for organization.

Mastery of Design: A French Speaking Trumpet, 1738

The Victoria & Albert Museum

A Speaking Trumpet is, really, just a megaphone. But, somehow the word, “megaphone” doesn’t do this object of engraved brass justice. It bears the monogram” SMA,” ensigned with a coronet and a crest suggesting ducal ownership.

The trumpet is signed by French metalworker Jacques Vincent Fecit, 1738. Adorned towards the larger end with three broad bands of foliage, the middle band includes the monogram and crest (depicting a windmill). These are enclosed in frames supported respectively by two lions and two dogs.

Unusual Artifacts: A Brass Soap Container, 1750

Soap Container
Brass, once silver-plated, 1750
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Soap containers such as this globe-shaped brass example which rests on a small foot, sat on the well-appointed dressing tables as part of toilet sets of aristocrats.  These handy little vessels boasted  perforations which allowed the soap to dry. Usually such containers were purchased with companion pieces with solid tops which were designed to keep sponges damp.

This container shows traces of silvering, indicating that it once sparkled more elegantly than it does today. Brass coated in silver was a popular medium for such utilitarian items to avoid the cost of sterling—especially before the Sheffield plate industry was established in the mid-1740s.

Gifts of Grandeur: A French Marquetry Inkstand, 1720

French Marquetry Inkstand
1720
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the early Eighteenth Century, especially by 1720, desk and writing-related items were among the most fashionable of luxury goods since they could display the status and learning of the owners. Even though a gentleman might employ secretaries to do his writing for him, it was essential that his own tools for writing were both elegant and efficient.

Large inkstands such as the one pictured above allowed for all the requisite writing equipment to be contained together. The semi-circular trough at the front of this French example dating to 1720 was designed to hold quill pens, while the three compartments at the back held (from left to right) ink in a glass pot, a sponge (for wiping the end of the pen free of unsightly blobs which would have spoiled the writing) and a pot for “pounce,” a powdered sandarac which was sprinkled over the writing to prevent runs. It is veneered in boulle marquetry of tortoiseshell and brass, with sumptuous figural brass mounts, and may well have matched the writing table for which it was first made.

The Home Beautiful: A Brass and Copper Fire Screen, 1884

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome brass and copper fire-screen is one of the earliest known registered designs of William Arthur Smith Benson (1858-1924), an inventor and creator of lamps and home furnishings. This intricate copper pattern is drawn from some of his earlier designs.

Benson was a great fan of the designer and writer William Morris. Morris inspired him to set up a metalwork shop in 1880 which led to a factory in Hammersmith, west London, and a shop in Bond Street. The firm survived Benson's 1920 retirement.

Figure of the Day: The Wild Man Chandelier Brass, 15th C.

Chandelier Brass
Germany
Fifteenth Century
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in Germany in the Fifteenth Century, this brass figure once adorned a chandelier—likely in a church or cathedral. Chandeliers in religious buildings afforded an opportunity for craftsmen to display their wares, and, therefore, they tended to be highly elaborate and decorative.

It’s difficult to specifically place the exact spot in Germany where this brass was made, but it’s a safe bet that it was in Nuremburg which was a center of brass manufacture prior to the Seventeenth Century.

The brass wild man once held a club and a shield, but these were lost—presumably around the same time he was stripped from the chandelier.             

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Pair of Skirt Grips, 1902

Skirt Grips
Brass, 1902
This and all related images from:
The Victoria and Albert Museum

Skirt grips developed as a means of helping women keep the hems of their full skirts from trailing on the ground. Similarly, these devices served to keep long trains from becoming soiled when not in the ballroom. Fashions of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries dictated very long skirts and trains for a fashionable woman. While very dramatic and beautiful when a woman was posing, standing or at rest, these lengths of fabric (often very delicate and expensive) would quickly become dirty on streets and sidewalks. Skirt grips fastened to the end of a hem or train or sometimes just below the waistband in order to raise the skirt from the top. The clip was attached to a chain or length of ribbon or sting which could be held by a woman, fastened to a ring or clipped to a belt, allowing the skirt to be raised to any (still modest) length and prevent the fabric from being ruined.

By the time this set was made in 1902, women were using them not only in the ballroom, but to keep skirts from trailing the ground when playing sports or riding bicycles. Skirt holders were marketed under names such as “Bicycle,” “Eureka,” “The Grappler,” “Invincible.” “'The Automatic,” etc. and were sold with drawings to help a woman know how to use the clips in different situations. 


London inventor B.O. Brendel took out the patent for these skirt grips on April 12 1902, marketing them as “dress suspenders.” These were made to be used with sporting clothes. You see the serrated edges of the clips? These could only have been used on heavy woolen fabrics (those used for sporting clothes) since the teeth would have torn more delicate materials. The dagger-shaped piece of metal at the top would have been inserted into the belt or waistband to keep the skirt grips in place.

The Home Beautiful: The Hildburgh Inkwell, 1600-25

This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

For centuries, curators have debated about this object. What exactly is it? Most believe that it’s probably an inkwell. The top of the object has been lost, and so, its original function is uncertain. It was given to the Victoria & Albert Museum by Walter Leo Hildburgh, one of the most dedicated and generous patrons in the history of the V&A whose passion for the art of Spain and Portugal, allowed the museum to acquire the finest collection of Hispanic silver in the world. Hildburgh developed a delightful habit of giving the Museum presents at Christmas and on his own birthday. This was one of them.

The object features a round body of yellow marble with black streaks, a gilt brass lip band, and a silver cartouche with an oval center decorated with strapwork on a ground of dark blue.  A unicorn perches at the apex. It is thought to have been made between 1600-1625 in Spain. Clearly, it is damaged and missing pieces at the top. Some suggest that it might have once surmounted a clock or another more monumental base. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful object even in its current mysterious form.

The Home Beautiful: A Dangerous Door Lock, 1761

Door Lock, 1761
William Walls
Presented to King George III, 1765
The Royal Collection

This attractive piece of hardware holds a deadly secret. Handsomely crafted of steel, brass and wood in 1761 by inventor William Walls, this lock features a charming Asian-inspired scene on its plate, and, more curiously, two pistols.


Yes, pistols. The lock was so designed that should it be tampered with or should someone try to open it without the correct key, bells (now missing) would sound and two tiny pistols would fire small bullets through the holes on either side of the keyhole. The barrels of the flintlock guns were accessible from the reverse so that they could be refilled and set in between shootings.

Though ingenious, the lock was not fool proof. In fact, the danger of such a device was the simple fact that if an unsuspecting innocent person should turn the proper key in the wrong way, or should accidentally fumble with the lock as one often does when in a hurry, he would immediately be shot for no good reason.

William Walls presented the lock to King George III in 1765. George III appreciated the lock as a scientific study, but it’s unclear whether or not the device was installed in any door. If it was, chances are, it was not set to fire.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Mechanical Turtle, 1600-1650

The Victoria & Albert Museum

What better way to start a Sunday than with a mechanical turtle?  

This little German curiosity was probably created to be displayed with other examples of scientific and artistic skill in a Kunstkammer--a room (or series of rooms) in a large private German or Austrian house or palace which was especially reserved for the private exhibition of rare, valuable and intriguing objects and artifacts. 
Among the most popular items displayed in a kunstkammer were, generally, beautifully made automata in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.  The more unusual, the better.  Take this turtle for example.  Here, the animal’s head pokes out from under its shell as the object is rolled. The “merman” (not, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” but a male mermaid)  atop the shell is designed to raise its arms and bring its trident down on the head of the moving tortoise—as one does when riding a turtle.  

Even more curiously, this is made from a real tortoise shell which has been fitted with a brass head and feet--the mechanism hidden inside the shell.  

Made between 1600 and 1650, the tortoise was given to the Victoria & Albert Museum by Colonel Sir Charles Wyndham Murray (1844-1928),a renowned British army officer and politician.  Aside from that, nothing is known of the early history of this object. 

The triton figure is thought to be the result of a later alteration to the piece, replacing what was probably a simple clock.  This has been deduced based on the rather crude modeling of the figure and the disproportionate size compared to the turtle.  

Unusual Artifacts: A Bottle Opener Depicting Karagoz, Punch's Turkish Cousin

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Mr. Punch has many cousins throughout the world.  His Turkish counterpart is known as Karagoz.  Unlike Mr. Punch, however, Karagoz is not primarily presented as a glove puppet, he is always performed as a shadow puppet, a flat, joined figure manipulated by rods from behind a screen.  It's this method of performing which lends Karagoz his name which literally translates to "Black-Eye."  The figures were always designed so that the pupil of Karagoz's eye appeared as a black circle.  This outgoing, amorous and sometimes violet and obscene character sports a thick, curly beard and a bald head.  So, I guess he's a puppet hipster.

Karagoz's nemesis is called Hacivat who is somehow always wiser and more sophisticated than Karagoz.  He is usually represented with a neat beard and a tall pointed hat. The female characters included Karagoz and Hacivat’s wives.  A wealth of other characters added humor and complications to these farcical shows which were usually improvised.

This brass bottle opened of unknown origin and creation date represents Karagoz.  It was likely made in Turkey.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Punch & Judy Nutcrackers, Nineteenth Century

Mr. Punch faces one side of this nutcracker

All Images from the Victoria & Albert Museum

Since it's Friday, let's carry on with some Punch & Judy-themed items.  By the Nineteenth Century, our Mr. Punch was a superstar of huge proportions and he and his wooden-headed family and friends found themselves on a variety of different products, especially those meant for every day use in the home.

This nifty item is a great example of the trend.  Dating to the second quarter of the Nineteenth Century, this brass nutcracker boasts a relief of Mr. Punch on one side and Judy on the other.

I want one, even though I can't recall ever using a nutcracker in my entire life.

And, here's Judy.

Mastery of Design: A French Speaking Trumpet, 1738

The Victoria & Albert Museum

A Speaking Trumpet is, really, just a megaphone. But, somehow the word, “megaphone” doesn’t do this object of engraved brass justice. It bears the monogram” SMA,” ensigned with a coronet and a crest suggesting ducal ownership.

The trumpet is signed by French metalworker Jacques Vincent Fecit, 1738. Adorned towards the larger end with three broad bands of foliage, the middle band includes the monogram and crest (depicting a windmill). These are enclosed in frames supported respectively by two lions and two dogs.

Mastery of Design: A Doll's Earrings, 1690-1700

Earrings made for the Lady Clapham Doll
England, 1690-1700
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This set of mismatched earrings belonged to a doll.  The Lady Clapham doll--the be exact.  The Lord and Lady Clapham Dolls were made in the Seventeenth Century for the Cockerell Family--descendants of the famed diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) who first recorded Mr. Punch's presence in Covent Garden.


The dolls were outfitted with complete wardrobes and furnishings befitting full-size nobility.  Among Lady Clapham's accessories were these earrings.  The stud is made of brass and backed in silver while the more formal drop is a paste set in a silver mount.

Unusual Artifacts: An Eighteenth Century Brass Shoe Horn

Shoe Horn
Brass, Eighteenth Century
Birmingham?
The Victoria & Albert Museum

I’d have been quite thrilled to find this shoe horn in a box of shoes or with the sewing kit in a hotel room instead of the faux-shell brown things that one gets today. Do people even use shoe horns anymore? Do young people know what shoe horns are or do they just fasten the Velcro on their light-up/rollerblade sneakers and roll away?

This is a sturdy shoe horn! For those who don’t know, a shoe horn is used to ease a person’s feet into shoes. They are named as such because shoe horns were originally made from animal horn. Not this one. This one is brass. Sturdy brass.

We can’t be certain who made this since there’s no manufacturer's mark, but an educated guess leads us to believe that it is likely from Birmingham since we know that locksmiths, button and buckle makers there were using brass before the end of the 17th century. In fact, the first brass foundry was established in Birmingham around 1690 and the town was on its way to being the center of brass manufacturing in England—a position it maintained for quite a long time.