Vigo County Historical Society

Pins and pincushions have their place in history

Pins have been around for a long time. In fact, pins were one of the earliest types of jewelry.

People began wearing pins at least 20,000 years ago. Prehistoric people made pins out of bone, wood and thorns. Later, pins were made of iron and bronze.

The ancient Greeks and Romans used pins called "fibulae," similar to modern safety pins, to hold their garments together.

Through the years various types of decorative pins have been developed. Large ornamental pins called brooches were popular in the 1800s. They were usually worn at the neck opening of a garment.

Stick pins were used in the 1800s and 1900s to hold men’s ties and cravats in place. These pins were decorated with gems, initials and emblems and are worn today on scarves and lapels. Ladies used decorative pins on their hats.

Pins were handmade until the 1830s. In 1835, John Howe patented a machine for manufacturing pins. In 1849, Walter Hunt patented a design that served as a basis for the modern day safety pin.

The most common types of pins are straight pins and safety pins. Straight pins have a flat head at one end and a point at the other. They are used mostly to hold two or more pieces of fabric together. Safety pins have an oval shape. The point of the pin snaps into a protective guard to prevent the pin from falling out of the fabric and to avoid injury. Safety pins are used mainly as temporary fasteners.

Pincushions today are strictly functional. Ladies who do the sewing shows on television wear them on their wrists, so the pins are handy to add or remove.

But in Queen Elizabeth’s day, pincushions were worn as part of a garment. They hung from the waist, were heavily embroidered, betassled and mounted in silver and gold. They were a part of ladies fashions until the reign of Queen Victoria and were a lady’s pride and joy.

A varied of pins and pincushions may be seen in the museum.