Object of the Day: A Glittering Celluloid Comb

We’ve examined several celluloid combs here at Stalking the Belle Époque.  One of my favorites in my collection is this elegant comb featuring citrine-colored rhinestones.  This comb marks a transition of styles.  Earlier Victorian combs were lower and wider.  This comb shows the Edwardian trend toward narrower, longer combs which would sit higher on a lady’s head.  A comb such as this one would have almost exclusively been worn in the evening.  Such a hair ornament would have been the finishing touch to a lady’s ensemble, adding a bit of sparkle to an upswept coiffure. 

Object of the Day: An Antique Rhinestone Comb

Image an elegant dinner party in 1880. Everyone is dressed in their finest clothes. The gentleman are proudly wearing glittering diamond stickpins in the brightly-colored cravats. The ladies have donned their best gown—diamonds sparkle from the wrists, necks and ears and shimmer in the gaslight. The flicker of fans, the contrast of white gloves against deep velvet, everyone is on their best behavior and the evening is ebbing with excitement. The women wear their hair in elaborate upswept coiffures, secured by myriad pins and anchored by beautiful combs which catch the light. They seem almost ethereal, almost angelic.


A comb such as this one would have seen many a grand affair. This comb, dating from about 1880, is English in origin. It’s crafted of celluloid designed to look like tortoise shell. The crown of the comb is an elaborate skeleton of wires which hold brilliant-cut white and citrine-colored rhinestones. Delicately placed at the back of a lady’s head, this comb would have been the finishing touch to her ensemble.

Like the other combs in my collection, this one has been mounted in a custom-built, velvet-lined shadow box to preserve its beauty. So many of these intimate pieces have been lost. It’s a further reminder to protect the things that we use each day. Even the most commonplace of items has an intrinsic beauty and value all its own.

Object of the Day: A Miniature Italian Hand Fan

Miniature hand fans were created during the Nineteenth Century mostly for decorative purposes, however sometimes they were used as props at winter events when a fan wasn’t needed for practical reasons, but rather for social reasons. Miniature fans were also used by children. For this reason, they very often don’t survive in pristine condition. While English and French fan-makers were producing stunning full-sized fans, Italian craftsmen created some of the finest miniature fans of this period.


Take this miniature hand fan, for example. Signed by the artist, “Romano,” the fan depicts a pastoral scene of a courting couple. Behind them, the lady’s maid acts as chaperone while sheep frolic at the feet of the young lovers. The canvas leaf still retains its original vibrancy of color, trimmed with gold-tipped lace. The fan’s sticks are gilt and pierced celluloid, placing the creation of the fan around 1870. Judging by the case, I would say that the fan was mounted in the 1950’s. Originally the fan was mounted on ivory velvet, however, sometime during its existence the ivory backing was replaced with black. Traces of the original cream-colored velvet remain around the edges.

For a miniature fan to survive in such good condition, we can deduce that this fan was created for novelty or decorative purposes. By this period in history, the fan had become a symbol of a lady’s place in society. Where ancient fans were used to combat heat and shoo away pests, a Victorian lady employed a fan to communicate. A fan such as this one would have served as a reminder that though she didn’t have many liberties, a woman still had a certain control over her life.

Object of the Day: A Rhinestone Encrusted Celluloid Comb

Complicated hairstyles are not a modern phenomenon. Our Nineteenth Century counterparts reveled in elaborate coiffures for women. In fact, for a woman to literally let her hair down in public was considered quite shocking. Given the fashions of the day, a lady had to find new ways to not only secure her hair, but also adorn herself. Elegant combs such as this one were the answer.


Ornamental combs were not new to the Nineteenth Century. They had been employed for hundreds of years, but women of the Victorian era really embraced the style and manufacturers and jewelry designers were happy to oblige. This comb, dating to the 1880’s is constructed of pierced celluloid. Celluloid, also called ivorine or “French Ivory,” was an early form of plastic which rose in popularity in the 1860’s—replacing costlier materials such as horn and ivory. While combs were sometimes adorned with precious or semi-precious stones, this one is dressed with blue rhinestones, the color of aquamarines, in a natural coral-shape which harmonizes with the florid lines of the piercing.

This comb would have been worn at the back or side of the head to secure the coiffure. Combs with stones were the stuff of evening wear. During the day, simpler combs were used. I like the idea that this is the finishing touch on a lady’s outfit. In perfect condition, this comb was well cared for. Today, as is the case with many of these objects, it has been retired from hair-dressing and is comfortably housed in a glass case—happily sparkling and reminding us of elegant times.