Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

Three pairs of silver hatpins by Charles Horner , the first pair of Art Nouveau design, mounted with a facetted purple paste thistle, above silver sinuous ribbons of ‘entrelacs’ design, above a spherical ‘finding’ (the connecting link between the terminal and the steel pin), hallmarked for Chester, 1912, the second pair mounted with heart-shaped terminal, with central heart-shaped paste, spherical finding below, hallmarked for Chester, 1907, the third pair of circular design, centred with a turquoise blue enamel flowerhead, stamped ‘CH 925’, length of first pair 25.7cm, second pair 22cm, third pair 16.5cm. £260-360

For an identical example of the first pair, see Charles Horner of Halifax, by Tom J Lawson, GML Publishing, page 142, plate 5-18, block printing impression No. 9676; for second pair, see page 153 plate 5-35; for a similar example of the third pair, see page 155, plate 5-42.

The heyday of the hatpin dates from the late Victorian era, circa 1890s to the 1920s. Having originated in the 1850s with the introduction of hatpins to secure straw hats, and with the advent of hats without bonnet strings, following the examples of music hall actresses such as Lillian Russell and Lillian Langtry, hatpins became a requirement. Etiquette of the day required that ladies should always wear hats in public and as hairstyles became more elaborate, hats became ever larger and increasingly flamboyant. Hatpins quickly developed into a fashion item, with all levels of quality in production, from modest examples to individual pieces of the highest quality produced by jewellers such as René Lalique and Carl Fabergé.

With the approach of the First World War, hair styles became less exuberant and consequently hat designs became smaller, hence leading to the general decline in hatpin production, although they continued to be made in lesser numbers until the 1940s.

Charles Horner (1837-1896) was an English Jeweller and the founder of the Halifax jewellery business, Charles Horner of Halifax. Founded in the 1860s and based at 23 Northgate, Halifax, production included jewellery, thimbles, hatpins and other ornaments. After his death in 1896, his two sons James Dobson Horner and Charles Henry Horner, continued the business and expanded in 1905 with the opening of a new factory at Mile Cross, Halifax. Although an important player in the hatpin trade, the Horner business faced strong competition from other larger Birmingham manufactures and concentrated on mid-price range examples. The company’s pre-1914 success in the hatpin trade and the jewellery business in general, was probably due to their ability to produce quality fashionable items at a competitive price as a result of their highly efficient production process.