British Thimbles
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Thimbles have a rich history in Britain, from
the first functional thimbles made in the Middle Ages to the fancily
designed thimbles used by Elizabeth I. Artists and advertising designers
have even been called upon to put their mark on the industry.
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Thimbles
The history of thimbles in
Britain
is long and surprisingly intricate. The first thimbles were probably
made from leather and bone and have not survived the centuries, but in
later years metal came to be used and there are handcrafted brass
thimbles with thick tops and no decoration that have survived from the
Middle Ages. Although these thimbles are interesting for their history,
thimbles became much more common and intricate in the 17th and 18th
centuries. Although at this point additions such as the ridging and
pebbling for needle grasping had to be done by hand, attention began to
be paid to the appearance as much as the functionality.
As fine ladies took up needlework, thimbles of bone
and leather began to give way to metal and porcelain, and designs became
much more intricate. Some thimbles in
Britain
even had precious stones mounted on them as decoration. These were given
as gifts; in fact there are records showing that Elizabeth I gave such a thimble to one of her
ladies in waiting. Young men also would give similar, though obviously
less expensive, thimbles to ladies they fancied.
The advent of the railways and the sudden ability
to travel quickly from city to city gave birth to thimbles as souvenirs.
Ceramic thimbles were relatively cheap and easy to reproduce and
decorate and were easily carried as memoirs of travel or presents for
those left behind. In the late 19th century, though the actual thimble
production was mechanized, artists would sometimes be called upon for
the decoration. William Powell, for example, was an artist who painted a
series of birds on thimbles for a fine china company called Royal
Worcester. Others chose to print more simple designs and use the
thimbles for advertisements.
Today thimbles such as these are of great interest
to collectors. Today, though thimble production has been almost
completely automated and it is rare that a true hand-painted design is
found, the interest in thimbles remains high both in Britain and all over the world. Some
collect them, some use them for their intended use, sewing, but they
will not likely be going out of fashion any time soon.