Historical information

Historically this item could be a valuable antique worn originally by a wealthy upper class woman. The fine hand painted pictures with gold boarders and porcelain body suggests the item was bought either in Europe or Britain and brought into Australia in the late 19 th to early 20 th century by a wealthy landed gentry

Significance

This item is a reflection of both the fashion mode of the 1800s to mid 1900s when long hair needed to be controlled by hair pins rather than later manufactured hair sprays. It is also an example of society's mores of tidiness and quasi religious beliefs of covering the hair and head when outdoors

Physical description

Head of pin is six sided, domed top made of porcelain. Two sides have hand painted pictures of grapes, two sides with flower arrangement , two sides detailing cypress tree tips of branch, top has flowers and leaves with hidden small birds