Antique Victorian Sailors Valentines Shellwork Anchor Pin Cushion C. 1900
Antique British Sailor's Shellwork Valentine Anchor Pin Cushion C. 1900.
Wall hanging hook to reverse.
22 x 18 cm.
This beautiful pin cushion in the shape of an anchor harks back to a time when naval and merchant sailors would have taken great risks in going to sea, and often spending long periods of time away from their loved ones. Painstakingly hand made by sailors and presented to their sweethearts, pin cushions were often given as a love token and their creation would have helped pass the long hours at sea.
These pin cushions were often made in the shape of a heart or simple rectangular shape, and thus the present example being in the shape of an anchor is more unusual and therefore particularly desirable. The anchor is an obvious symbol of the sea, but also a symbol of security, steadfastness, hope.
The outline of the anchor in the present example has been decorated with beautiful mother of pearl shells, and filled with intriguing shells of varying shapes and sizes. At the centre of the anchor, is the pin cushion, in the shape of a heart. Predestined to be wounded with pins, the heart shaped cushion, is perhaps a symbol of heartache and invokes a sense of the anguish of separation felt by those whose loved ones were oceans apart.
This sentimental object is a wonderful example of folk art, and offers insight into a different time, when people used objects, rather than computers and telephones, to keep their relationships alive in the face of separation.
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