Such a Simple Tool- The Safety Pin
Have you ever faced a missing button, a drooping hemline or
gaping closure?
Textiles often need additional “hardware” for them to
function as articles of clothing: buttons, zippers and pins. Far back into history, as early as the
Bronze Age, metal skewer-like objects served as clasps to hold lengths of whole
cloth together, forming a semi-fitting article of apparel to function as a
loose body cover and protection from the elements.
In Roman times these closures, known as “Fibulae”, served as
brooches to fasten tunics and togas .
Wealthy folk in Medieval Europe used elaborate pins made of precious
metals and ivory, and by the 1400’s pins were made from drawn wire and much
more affordable to the common population.
However these early fasteners had a slight disadvantage in
that they were quite sharp, there are many references to their use through the
ages as weapons.
It wasn’t until the mid 1800’s that a mechanic cum inventor,
Walter Hunt, developed a u-shaped pin whose point is forced into a safety
clasp by a spring. This invention
became invaluable as a closure for cloth diapers (baby protection). A sample of the Hunt pin is part of the NY
Museum of Modern Art. It really is a functional
piece of sculpture, when you consider it
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Got a Baby? Then you have these!
Today, pins are made of steel, brass and stainless steel. Every
household has many of these fasteners in many sizes for a wide variety of uses , they really are
invaluable!
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From small to huge
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Remember when price tags were easy to remove?
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Safety pins used as fasteners on the backs of jewelry pins
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My favorite bracelet made of beads and safety pins
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