Although
prized by antique collectors today, hatpins were once both commonplace and
controversial. Ranging between 6 and 12 inches long, depending on the size of
the hat they needed to secure to a woman’s head, they were fancy or practical.
Every available material was used in their manufacture; precious metals,
gemstones, plastics and paste. Hatpin makers marketed their products to the
various levels of society, ranging from the extremely ornate and expensive to
the simple and functional. The heyday of the hatpin lasted from the 1880's to
1920’s, after which hair styles became short and hats became smaller, making
pins unnecessary.
As
far back as the Middle Ages in Britain and Europe, pins were used as a device
to securely hold wimples and veils that proper ladies used to cover their hair.
These wire pins were used for hundreds of years. In 1800 the making of
decorative and functional pins became a cottage industry, frequently employing
an entire family. Each pin was time-consuming to make, limiting the numbers of
pins available to the demanding public.
One
way to keep up with demand was to import from France. Parliament became alarmed
at the effect the imports had on the balance of trade and, in 1820, passed an
Act restricting the sale of pins to two days per year, January first and
second. Ladies saved their money all year to be able to purchase pins, which
may explain the term “pin money.” Queen Victoria, however, taxed her subjects
at the beginning of each year to pay for her own pins, which may also have
originated the term.
In
1832 a pin making machine was patented in the U. S. and the production of pins
with long tapering points began, usurping the hand-made ones. Within the next
two years, England and France as well as Japan began production machine-made
pins. Any woman wearing a hat undoubtedly had a hat pin holding it in place.
These pins could be up to thirteen inches long with a quite sharp tip,
providing Victorian women with a handy weapon.
They were so threatening that one judge ordered suffragettes to remove their
hats and hatpins, for fear they’d use them as weapons in his court. Arkansas
and Illinois passed bills limiting the length of hatpins to 9 inches. If a
lengthier pin were desired, a permit had to be applied for.
In
1848, head coverings were merely another piece of clothing which changed with
fashion. Bonnets came into being, employing ribbons and strings tied under the
chin to hold them on. This coincided with the suffrage movement, as women were
as eager to be free of bonnet strings as they were to declare their right of
equality with men.
The
rise in popularity of hatpins as a result of changing fashions in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries saw the Charles Horner jewelry business
becoming one of the British market leaders in good quality but mass produced
hatpins. Some of the high quality makers in the U. S. were the Unger Bros., the
William Link Co., the Paye & Baker Mfg. Co. and Tiffany & Co.
At
the start of World War II women took over the jobs vacated by men who had gone
away to war. As they reported to work in the factories, shipyards and aircraft
plants the wearing of hats fell out of fashion, along with hat pins, which is
too bad because a lot of us today could use a good weapon as handy as our hats,
now and then.
Resource
Materials and Books
The Collectors Encyclopedia of
Hatpin and Hatpin Holders by Lillian Baker, Collector Books of Paducah, Kn. Out
of print - available on the secondary marketBaker's Encyclopedia of Hatpins and Hatpin Holders, Schiffer Books
Hatpins and Hatpin Holders an Illustrated Value Guide by Lillian Baker, Collector books
Art Nouveau and Art Deco Jewelry by Lillian Baker, Collector books
Hat Pins by Eve Eckstein and June Ferkins, Shire Publication ISBN 0 2478 0182 7
Hat Pins and Tie Pins by Alexandra M. Rhodes, Mackays of Chatham Ltd. publication ISBN 0 7188 2540 3
Charles Horner of Halifax. A Celebration of his Life and Work by Tom Lawson, GML Publishing. ISBN 0-9542354-0-1
