I found this information on the Internet at the website Annie's Attic, written by Susan Wildemuth.
Chatelaines
Groups of parents and children were scattered around the gym-size room in one of the exhibition buildings waiting to turn in their projects before the judging began for our county’s 4-H Day at the Illinois State Fair, when one of the smaller children burst into tears. It was a crisis of the first order: One of their pictures was falling off their project and they didn’t have anything with which to reattach it.
Never fear, veteran mommy was there and she was carrying a bag the size of the state of Rhode Island, hanging from her waist via her fanny pack.
“What do you need?” I asked.
“What do you have in there?” asked the mother with renewed hope.
“Let’s see: double-sided tape, glue stick, scotch tape, scissors, crayons, markers, pen, a No. 2 pencil, fruit roll-ups, a crossword puzzle, four band-aids, a punch-type ice bag, a washrag, needle, thread, thimble, two unfinished quilt squares and some sunscreen. You’re welcome to borrow any of it,” I offered.
“Double-sided tape,” she said.
“Good choice,” I said, handing it to her.
The crisis was over, everyone was smiling again and she said, “What in the world did women do before purses were invented?”
What is a Chatelaine?
I did not know the answer to that question until I started down the path of collecting quilt paper items and came across a May 1929 issue of Needlecraft Magazine. I asked a quilt friend of mine what the woman on the cover had dangling from her waist. “That interesting little item looks like a homemade sewing chatelaine to me.”
That opened up another area of interest for me. I found chatelaines are indeed an area of sewing collectibles I wanted to know a little more about, so I headed to the library. Many trips and lots of research later, I’d like to share some of the things I discovered.
This early Native American, sweet-grass chatelaine is shown complete with thimble and needle cases, pincushion and scissors’ sheath.
Chatelaine is French for “mistress of the castle.” For years people have associated this decorative and useful waist-hung item with medieval times, but it’s an honest case of mistaken identity.
Grandmother to the chatelaine, collectors called these early waist-hung items, with long chains holding keys to myriad places where precious items like spices, tea, and food stuffs were stored, by its proper name, equipage. The term chatelaine, in association with waist-hung items, did not come into use until the early 1800s during the late Regency period.
Similar to equipage, a chatelaine was traditionally worn draped over or attached by a clip to a belt on the wearer’s waist, its long chains dangling about halfway down the length of her skirt. More than just a fashion accessory, its purpose was to organize useful household objects in an accessible fashion and was often given as a wedding present by a husband to his new bride.
Tools Close at Hand
The useful items found on the end of the chains were called appendages or accessories. In reality, it’s extremely rare to find a chatelaine with all of its original appendages. Those would probably be dubbed museum quality and, depending on the metal of which they are made, could run in the $2,500-plus price range. Some people start by collecting chatelaine appendages to ready themselves for the day when they find the perfect chatelaine on which to attach their collection.
What appendages are out there? The list is endless. Interested collectors can find keys, shoe-button hooks, dance cards, books, devotional articles, covered notepads, watches, vinaigrettes (a perforated container holding an aromatic sponge), miniature pens, letter openers, whistles for distress calls, change-size purses with metal clasps, penknives, and spectacles, being just a few of the general items.
Worn by nannies, nurses, housewives, archery enthusiasts, members of religious orders and an assortment of other occupations, appendages often identified the wearer’s particular responsibilities or interests. There are a wide variety of specialized chatelaines out there. A quiltmaker or needle artist would have outfitted herself with a sewing or needlework chatelaine.
Needlework appendages would have consisted of a needle barrel or case, tape measure, thimble bucket or holder, pincushion or ball, and a pair of scissors. It was not uncommon to find a notebook and pencil appendage attached to a sewing chatelaine, too.
Needlework appendages were either housed in their own individual containers or together in an etui, a container that holds several sewing tools in one unit.
Chatelaines were made from a variety of metals and materials with steel, forged brass, sterling and homemade materials being the most popular ones. The most affordable chatelaines were the homemade ones. Constructed using inexpensive materials like ribbon and rings, fabric or wood, homemade chatelaines had gained such popularity among housewives throughout the United States that Godey’s Lady’s Book published instructions for one in 1889 and several other publications followed suit. Ladies’ Home Journal included one in 1902 when it introduced a ribbon and ring pattern for a spectacle chatelaine.
Acquiring a Chatelaine
Where would someone interested in collecting antique chatelaines find one today? Fine antique dealers or jewelers will occasionally have one for sale. Private auctions, e-Bay and private collections are also sources, but please keep in mind that antique chatelaines are rare items so do not expect a bargain. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. As mentioned earlier in this article, these are high-ticket items with an asking price from $150 for a simple antique steel chatelaine without appendages to a specialized museum-quality chatelaine or equipage going for $2,500 and up.
Interested in owning a chatelaine, but an antique one is a little out of your price range? That’s OK, it’s out of mine, too. Don’t despair. You and I have several options from which to choose.
Modern chatelaines are available by going to the e-Bay auction site and typing in keyword chatelaine, contacting one of the companies out there who sell chatelaines and sewing appendages (like Gelber Enterprises, 3708 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95816) or heading to your local jewelry store. Even easier—create a homemade one of our own.
How much does a modern one cost? I would be glad to share that information with you, as I have one of my own, a gift from my husband for our 20th wedding anniversary. My modern chatelaine is sterling and clips over my belt or hangs from a necklace. It has three appendages: a thimble with a hinged case, a needle case and a pair of scissors with a case. The cost was around $150.
I’m also the proud owner of a modern homemade one, passed down to me by my mother-in-law; it’s a ribbon-and-ring style, hot pink and reminiscent of the homemade chatelaines created at the turn of the century and featured in Queen, Ladies’ Home Journal and other publications of that time period. This chatelaine is perfect to wear anytime, anyplace and for those of us with a shy streak, a chatelaine such as this makes a wonderful conversation piece at a club meeting.
In truth, I’ve only briefly touched the surface on all there is to know about chatelaines. If you’d like to learn even more about these beautiful items, I suggest a trip to your local library. There is a wonderful 1994 book by Genevieve E. Cummins and Nerylla D. Taunton entitled Chatelaines: Utility To Glorious Extravagance. If your library doesn’t have a copy, ask them to interlibrary loan it for you so you can read more about this interesting artifact. QW
Bibliography
Cummins, Genevieve E. and Nerylla D. Taunton, Chatelaines: Utility to Glorious Extravagance, England: Antique Collectors Club, 1994.
Thompson, Helen Lester, Sewing Tools and Trinkets, Paducah, Kentucky: Collector Books, 1997.
Chatelaine Terms
Appendages—Items suspended by chains from a chatelaine.
Chatelaine—French in origin, medieval term for “the mistress of the castle” and term used for a waist-hung fashion accessory dating back to the late Regency period.
Equipage—Term used prior to the 19th century to describe a waist-hung item.
Etui—Term dating back to the 1600s for a small portable container fitted with various items.
