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Hatpins and Hatpin Holders
About Antique Hatpins and Hatpin Holders
Hatpins reached a peak of popularity between the 1890s and 1920s, as music hall actresses like Lillian Russell and Lillian Langtry fueled the popularity of large elaborate hats without bonnet strings. Having originated in the 1850s to secure straw hats, hatpins became longer and more ornate over time (1910 was the height of hatpin length, with the stems alone reaching 10 to 12 inches).
The mass produced white or black bead on a pin was the basic 'working girl' hatpin, but many high end hatpins were made by jewelers of brass, copper, sterling silver, gold, or gold or silver wash. Other materials included Carnival glass, rhinestones, hand blown molded glass, micro mosaic, or hand painted or transferred porcelain like the Japanese Satsuma. There were also hatpins made with ivory, emeralds, stone, amber, tortoise shell, jet, celluloid and other plastics, mother of pearl, and coral...
Key hatpin manufacturers included Unger Brothers, Lincoln, William Kerr, Alvin Manufacturing, R. Blackington and Company, Day and Clarke, and The Sterling Company. Notable hatpin designers included Charles Horner, Louis Tiffany, William Codman, James T. Wooley, Barton Jenks, and George Gebelein.
Hatpins spanned many styles including Baroque, Etruscan Revival, Greek Revival, Egyptian Revival, Oriental influence, Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and even Art Deco, before waning around WW1 when metals became scarce and hats got smaller.
Collectors also seek specialized hatpins, including hallmarked hatpins, hatpins that serve vanities, opera hatpins, and compact hatpins that have a mirror and a powder puff. Amethyst and pearls are popular, as well as Plique-a-Jour enamel. Hatpin holders are also sought after.
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Upcoming Events
- Fabergé: Imperial Jeweler to the Tsars
Jan 13–Apr 4. Houston, TX. - Special Topics in 19th and 20th Century Jewelry
Apr 15–17. New York, NY. - Cartier and America
Jan 12–Apr 18. San Francisco, CA.
See all 52 Fine Jewelry events
Interviews & Articles
An Interview With Antique Hatpin Collector Jodi Lenocker
Originally my husband and I collected cylinder phonographs, but after you acquire a few of them and their stands, y… [more]
An Interview With Vintage Hat Collector and Author Sue Langley New!
When I was about eight years old, I went up into my grandma's attic one day and found a little bonnet and a red pla… [more]
An Interview on Turn of the Century Jewelry Styles with Appraiser Joyce Jonas New!
I bought my first piece of jewelry—a gold ring with a big lapis stone propped on prongs—when I was about 12 with mo… [more]
An Interview With Victorian Furniture Collector John Werry
How did I get started collecting Victorian Furniture? Antiques is in my genes, my mother's family were longtime ant… [more]
An Interview With Victorian Trade Card Collector Ben Crane
How did I start collecting Victorian trade cards? In the late 60s I was a bottle collector, early American bottles … [more]
An Interview With Fine Jewelry and Costume Jewelry Collector Christie Romero
I started out with general antiques and collectibles... I was a dealer for a while and bought and sold all kinds of… [more]
An Interview With Modernist Studio Jewelry Collector Marbeth Schon
My background is in fine art. My B.A. was in Art Education, so I started out as an art teacher. Later, I began work… [more]
An Interview With Victorian Greeting Card Collector Malcolm Warrington
Malcolm Warrington is based 12 miles to the west of Central London. He is a council member of the UK Ephemera Socie… [more]
An Interview with Arts and Crafts Jewelry Collector and Author Elyse Karlin
I started collecting jewelry when I was about 13 years old. I was very close to an interior designer who took me to… [more]
An Interview With Arts and Crafts Silver and Jewelry Collector Paul Somerson
How did I get started collecting Arts and Crafts silver? My wife and I had been collecting Arts and Crafts items as… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
American Hatpin Society
Who knew there was so much to hatpin collecting? This site is all about great hatpin images - from recent hatpin co… [read review or visit site]
All About Jewels Dictionary
This incredible reference dictionary on jewelry, from Enchantedlearning.com, is both beautiful and comprehensive. S… [read review or visit site]
Des Chapeaux
A French tribute to women's hats and other headwear from the 1940s... primarily magazine images, with some commenta… [read review or visit site]
Rare Victorian
John Werry's in-depth blog on rare Victorian Furniture, with detailed, informative and often humorous posts on doze… [read review or visit site]
The Scrap Album
Attention paper collectors: don't miss Malcolm Warrington's exquisitely designed tribute to Victorian scraps (stamp… [read review or visit site]
Antique Jewelry University
Although not actually a university, this website has a lot of great educational information about antique, vintage,… [read review or visit site]
Trade Card Place
Ben Crane's excellent reference site on Victorian trade cards. Includes a scrapbook containing hundreds of beautifu… [read review or visit site]
Morning Glory Antiques and Jewelry
Jewelry collectors, feast your eyes on this internet gem! It's a goldmine of jewelry information featuring all styl… [read review or visit site]
Stevengraphs Bookmarks and Postcards
Malcolm Roebuck's tribute to the ornate silk picture bookmarks and postcards ('Stevengraphs') produced by Thomas St… [read review or visit site]
Chicago Silver
Paul Somerson's incredible reference on handwrought metalwork from the American Arts and Crafts movement of the ear… [read review or visit site]
Cathy Gordon's Jewelry Gallery
With its vast galleries featuring clear images of jewelry and style, this site really covers it all! Divided up by … [read review or visit site]
Art of Mourning
Australian historian and collector Hayden Peters' handsome site is a great resource for fans of memorial, mourning,… [read review or visit site]
Jewel History
Since March of 2007, readers of Lori Ettlinger Gross’s JewelHistory blog have been treated to her weekly (sometim… [read review or visit site]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
Clubs & Associations: Fine Jewelry
- American Hatpin Society
- Hat Pin Society of Great Britain
- American Society of Jewelry Historians
- Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts
- Society of Jewellery Historians
Other Great Reference Sites: Fine Jewelry
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Recent News: Hatpins and Hatpin Holders
Source: Google News
Mühlbauer Hats - Vienna's Must-See Hat Shop
Luxist (blog), March 21stAlso, if you can't afford to purchase one for yourself, you can pick up a classic Viennese hat pin for under 20 euros, which they make in charmingly quaint...Read more
The ups and downs and ups of a financial services recruitment firm
eFinancialCareers UK, March 18thFounded in 1994 as Alexander Mann Financial Markets, it was acquired by Hat Pin in 2006, and rebranded as Akamai Financial Markets. Hatpin then sold Akamai...Read more
Historian shows off Victorian women's wardrobes at Lacey library
Asbury Park Press, March 18thThe hat was simple by Victorian standards, bird feathers, held in place by a big hat pin, or a straw boller which she'd take off when she got to work...Read more
Jewels in fashionable exhibition
Express & Echo, March 17thBaubles, bangles and bright shiny beads mix with necklaces, brooches, hatpins, rings and tiaras in an exhibition at the National Trust property until the...Read more
TEDTalks: Eric Mead: The Magic of the Placebo
ScienceBlogs (blog), March 16thOn the other hand, how do you think the hatpin trick was done? TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference,...Read more
Activist's service draws admirers
Boston Globe, March 14thOn Sunday, admirers handed out small straw hat pins in her memory. Dennis Burke said in the eulogy that Granny D didn't cure diseases or end wars,...Read more
Collectors anonymous
Deccan Herald, March 13th
One can only marvel at the existence of organisations like the American Hatpin Society, Paperweight Collectors' Association, Painted Soda Bottle Collectors'...Read more
PlayMakers Rep's The Importance of Being Earnest
The Independent Weekly, March 10thThe redoubtable Lady Augusta Bracknell is one of repertory theater's great roles, and if we are more than usually wary of her barbs and hatpins,...Read more
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