The Chatelaine

Some days ago I have posted on my socials a video in Italian about the Chatelaine, a marvellous accessory much used during the Victorian era. 

If you do not know what this item is, well it is a chain with hooks and sometimes decorative plaquettes that hung from the waist belt with many small tools linked to it:

 

Sisters, by Charles Boom (detail) 1901, full image

An antique piece from RubyLaneVintage

                                       

 

Its usage dates from very ancient times, many researchers say there were similar items in Ancient Rome and Greek, but it became very popular between the 16th century until the end of victorian era. Initially it was not called "chatelaine", but among the many names it had there was during the 18th century the word "equipage".

Only in 1828 the item was offered to the ladies as "chatelaine" on a very popular magazine addressed to women: the "World of Fashion". It was used the word "chatelaine" as a french loanword, which actually means "the lady or mistress of the castle" (from Latin: castellanus). Here castle was used as a medieval reference to mean house/residence. That was because the item was intended to be used to collect the house keys. And therefore intended for housekeepers.

But it became popular during the Victorian era to carry various small usefull items: from scissors, pencils, small notebooks, fans, even little bags or reticules! And it was used by women of different social extractions, from the nurse (to carry medical items), to the noble lady (to carry accessories like fans, or parfums, cartes de bal or handkerchiefs), to the maid.

Nurse chatelaine in a museum with pencil, notebook, pillbox, scissors, measure and a whistle

There was a really amazing quantity of item types women could attach to it, so many that during the Victorian era journals satirezed the thing with plates showing housewives with enormous chatelaines and tons of very big accessories on them.

Also the materials used to make the chatelaine could vary greatly depending on the wearer status and taste: from the most expensive in gold with fabulous stones and engraved elaborate scenes (biblical, simbolic lucky themes, flowers, etc) to cheap models in alloy, to even chatelaines made of fabric ribbons!

 

Drawing of a chatelaine Ribbon from La Mode illustrée

 

Also there were many strange or funny items, like thimble holders in different shapes for example.

Thimble holder accessories for chatelaines:

Thimble holder in egg shape

Thimble holder in nut shape

 

An antique scent bottle could be used on the Chatelaine - Victorian antique bottle from LiveAuctioneers

 

Some accessories on an old magazine

 

An antique Chatelaine with sewing tools (needle holder, scissors and thimble holder) and seemigly a Cart de Bal or notebook (on the left) and a pencil (on the right). From LiveAuctioneers. 

 

A very useful book, which I would be very happy to get hold of about the chatelaine thematic is this one (unfortunately out of print): "Chatelaines: Utility to Glorious Extravagance" (1994 - Genevieve Cummins and Nerylla D. Taunton).

 

Go to my TikTok page to see my video about the Chatelaine.

Bibliography

The Killer Mobile Device for Victorian Women | Collectors Weekly

18th century chatelaines archive

Chatelaine (chain) - Wikipedia

Chatelaine | ornament | Britannica

 

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