Unusual Artifacts: Wedding Favors, 1854

Click image to enlarge.
Wedding Favors
England, c. 1854
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The tradition of handing out wedding favors, especially to those who participated in the wedding party, goes back centuries. The origin of this custom is difficult to trace as it is not unique to any one culture.

Some of the most famous wedding favors are those which were presented at the 1840 marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. “The Times” reported that white favors were given out at the lavish nuptials:

Every lady exhibited a white favour, some of which were admirable specimens of refined taste. They were of all sizes, many of white satin riband, tied up into bows and mixed with layers of rich silver lace. Others merely of riband intermixed with sprigs of orange flower blossom.

While the custom of orange blossoms at a wedding pre-dates Victoria’s wedding considerably and actually arose in Asia, the interest in the blooms was rejuvenated after that Royal wedding. After witnessing the gorgeous orange blossoms at Queen Victoria’s wedding, many brides wished to have similar favors and turned to more permanent imitation blossoms.

Take, for example, this pair of wedding favor froms an 1854 union. The orange blossoms on these favors are made of cloth and feature silvered paper leaves and trimmings of cream silk satin ribbon. These items are associated with the wedding of Elizabeth Wroughton Richards to the Reverend Andrew Nugee on August 8, 1854.

Mastery of Design: The Sixteen Leaf Necklace, 1880

Necklace or Horse Collar
India, Before 1880
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome necklace heralds from India and was made before 1880. Sixteen leaf-shaped plaques are strung on red silk which has been covered with gold wire.

The front of each plaque is adorned in floral ornament in low relief. The design is decorated with turquoises and rock-crystal set over red foil to simulate rubies. The reverse of each of these sixteen plaques is chased with designs of flowering plants.
The necklace was purchased in India for the Victoria & Albert Museum by Casper Purdon Clarke in 1880-2. It has been suggested that this is not a necklace meant for a human, but rather, was made as a collar for a horse. Lucky horse!

Unusual Artifacts: Wedding Favors, 1854

Click image to enlarge.
Wedding Favors
England, c. 1854
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The tradition of handing out wedding favors, especially to those who participated in the wedding party, goes back centuries. The origin of this custom is difficult to trace as it is not unique to any one culture.

Some of the most famous wedding favors are those which were presented at the 1840 marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. “The Times” reported that white favors were given out at the lavish nuptials:

Every lady exhibited a white favour, some of which were admirable specimens of refined taste. They were of all sizes, many of white satin riband, tied up into bows and mixed with layers of rich silver lace. Others merely of riband intermixed with sprigs of orange flower blossom.

While the custom of orange blossoms at a wedding pre-dates Victoria’s wedding considerably and actually arose in Asia, the interest in the blooms was rejuvenated after that Royal wedding. After witnessing the gorgeous orange blossoms at Queen Victoria’s wedding, many brides wished to have similar favors and turned to more permanent imitation blossoms.

Take, for example, this pair of wedding favor froms an 1854 union. The orange blossoms on these favors are made of cloth and feature silvered paper leaves and trimmings of cream silk satin ribbon. These items are associated with the wedding of Elizabeth Wroughton Richards to the Reverend Andrew Nugee on August 8, 1854.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Abruzzi Coral Stands, 1820

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This impressive necklace is ablaze with crimson and coral. Coral, since prehistoric times, was a favorite medium for Italian jewelers, especially in the south of the country. One favorite souvenir for wealthy tourists (especially the British) was coral jewelry, and for this reason, many examples of this unique medium survive in collections around the world.

This bold necklace from Abruzzi looks as if it came off of the runway of today. It consists of sixteen rows of barrel-shaped coral beads which have been gathered into two silver ends with loops for ribbons. Such ribbons were fashionable in the Nineteenth Century with Italian women who preferred the feel of silk on the backs of their necks to the cold touch of metal.

Unfortunately, these ribbons rarely survive. This, from 1820, is one of the few surviving examples of original Italian neck ribbons. The reason for their survival is that this piece was purchased by the V&A from the Castellani Collection of Italian Jewelry in 1867 at International Exhibition in Paris.

Unusual Artifacts: Wedding Favors, 1854

Click image to enlarge.
Wedding Favors
England, c. 1854
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The tradition of handing out wedding favors, especially to those who participated in the wedding party, goes back centuries. The origin of this custom is difficult to trace as it is not unique to any one culture.

Some of the most famous wedding favors are those which were presented at the 1840 marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. “The Times” reported that white favors were given out at the lavish nuptials:

Every lady exhibited a white favour, some of which were admirable specimens of refined taste. They were of all sizes, many of white satin riband, tied up into bows and mixed with layers of rich silver lace. Others merely of riband intermixed with sprigs of orange flower blossom.

While the custom of orange blossoms at a wedding pre-dates Victoria’s wedding considerably and actually arose in Asia, the interest in the blooms was rejuvenated after that Royal wedding. After witnessing the gorgeous orange blossoms at Queen Victoria’s wedding, many brides wished to have similar favors and turned to more permanent imitation blossoms.

Take, for example, this pair of wedding favor froms an 1854 union. The orange blossoms on these favors are made of cloth and feature silvered paper leaves and trimmings of cream silk satin ribbon. These items are associated with the wedding of Elizabeth Wroughton Richards to the Reverend Andrew Nugee on August 8, 1854.

Unusual Artifacts: A Wedding Wreath, 1854

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Wedding Wreath
Hampshire, England, 1854
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Image

A mid-Nineteenth Century bride, perhaps looking back to the tradition carried on by Queen Victoria at her 1840 marriage to Prince Albert, would likely have wanted to adorn her head with a crown of orange blossoms. The practice of the bride wearing orange blossoms dates back many centuries to China. The flowers were long considered a symbol of purity and innocence and the trend quickly caught on in Europe when trade with the East became more common. By the early 1800s, English brides had adopted the custom, and, it’s one that endures to this day.

The trouble with the blossoms was that they faded quickly. For a bride wishing to preserve her marriage wreath as a memento or, even, to be worn by future generations, the use of real orange blossoms proved, at best, inconvenient. And, so, imitation orange blossoms were fashioned. Women’s periodicals of the era instructed ladies how to make their own wedding crowns and wreaths that emulated the real flower. Most commonly, wax, paper, and cloth were used to create the look of foliage—allowing the wreath to be preserved on a “memory chair” or “marriage chair” under a glass dome.

Here’s a great example of a faux orange blossom wreath. Made in 1854, this wedding crown has long been associated with the marriage of Elizabeth Wroughton Richards to Edward Nugée of Hampshire. It’s quite rare for such an object to survive in such perfect condition. Most interestingly, instead of the usual waxed paper blooms fashioned on structures of wired ribbon, this one is constructed entirely of feathers. Some of the white feathers have been died in shades of green to emulate foliage and others have been tinted yellow to give dimension to the blossoms. 

It’s possible that this expertly made wreath had been purchased from a milliner’s shop. However, it’s a likely bet that the piece was fashioned at home by a very talented individual. 

History's Runway: The Pudding Safety Hat, 1775-1800

"Pudding" or "Safety" Hat
Britain, 1775-1800
The Victoria & Albert Museum

A “pudding” hat was essentially a safety hat designed for a young child to wear while learning to walk. The hat was designed to be fastened around the head, horizontally, above the ears. The name comes from the resemblance of the rolled part of the hat to the sort of English sausage known as “pudding.” This horseshoe-shaped roll of glazed cotton would feature four lightly padded triangular flaps attached at regular intervals. Two of these flaps fastened together over the head.

This type of “pudding” hat was very popular for children during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Not only was it cute, but it served to protect a tot’s soft, smooshy head for injury should he or she take a tumble while staggering about in that way that babies have. Clearly, I’m not a parent… 


The sausage-like horseshoe-shaped roll on this “pudding” hat is constructed of glazed pink cotton. This includes a padded white linen inner piece which has been stiffened with wire and card, and a black petersham ribbon tie at each end. The four lightly padded triangular flaps are also stiffened with card and attached to the roll at regular intervals (partly covering the crown of the head). The edges of the triangular flaps and the top seam of the roll are all edged with narrow black velvet ribbon. This hat was made in the U.K. between 1775 and 1800. 

Unusual Artifacts: The Coventry Town Ribbon, 1851

Coventry Town Ribbon
1851
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This silk, jacquard-woven bonnet ribbon was not made for use, but rather was made to demonstrate the work of the manufacturer and their technical abilities. The piece was made specifically for the Great Exhibition of 1851 where it was praised for its intricate detail and the realism of the floral design.


Made in Coventry, England, sadly, the ribbon’s specific maker is unknown. However, it was designed by one M. Clack who was a pupil of Coventry School of Art. The people of Coventry were very proud of the honors which the ribbon received at the Great Exhibition and soon found that the appearance of this ribbon helped to increase the demand for Coventry-made ribbon products such as trimmings, bookmarks and other woven keepsakes. 

Mastery of Design: The Sixteen Leaf Necklace, 1880

Necklace or Horse Collar
India, Before 1880
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome necklace heralds from India and was made before 1880. Sixteen leaf-shaped plaques are strung on red silk which has been covered with gold wire.

The front of each plaque is adorned in floral ornament in low relief. The design is decorated with turquoises and rock-crystal set over red foil to simulate rubies. The reverse of each of these sixteen plaques is chased with designs of flowering plants.

The necklace was purchased in India for the Victoria & Albert Museum by Casper Purdon Clarke in 1880-2. It has been suggested that this is not a necklace meant for a human, but rather, was made as a collar for a horse. Lucky horse!