Clothing & Accessories

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  Elgin Wristwatch

  Description

  Wristwatches are relative newcomers among timekeepers. Although no one knows precisely when or where they first appeared, it is likely that the modern wristwatch dates from around 1880. About that time, fashionable women in England and Europe began to wear small watches set in leather bands around their wrists, especially for outdoor activities like hunting, horseback riding and, later, bicycling. Men, for the most part, did not wear wristwatches then. They considered them feminine jewelry.

  The Swiss pioneered wristwatch manufacturing, with American firms entering the business only in the second decade of the 20th century. This example – made by the Elgin National Watch Company of Elgin, Illinois, in 1917 just before America entered World War I – features a small mechanical movement with seven jewels. Over the dial is a metal grill to protect the crystal while still permitting a quick read of the time. Such grills acquired the nickname "shrapnel guard" during the war, when wristwatches increased in popularity with men.

  The practicality of having time at a glance, the feature that attracted active women to the style in the first place, changed military men's minds about wristwatches. As soldiers entered World War I, they experimented with fastening pocket watches to their sleeves or their legs. As the war progressed, the wristwatch became ubiquitous among male soldiers of all branches of the armed forces and female nurses who cared for the wounded. European manufacturers reportedly worked overtime to convert existing women's watches into military timepieces to meet the demand.

  This Elgin wristwatch looks much like today's. But when wristwatches first appeared, it wasn't at all clear what they should look like or how people should wear them. The location of the winding stem, or crown, was particularly puzzling. Some early wristwatches placed the crown in line with 3:00 on the dial, others at 9:00. Also unclear was how the watch dial should be oriented on the strap. Should 12:00 and 6:00 line up with the strap or at a right angle to it? By the 1910s, the position of the crown and the orientation on the strap, for the most part, conformed to the style we know today.

  In addition to a variety of appearances, the earliest versions of the newfangled timekeeper had a variety of names. Early advertisements called it "wrist strap watch" or just "strap watch" for men and "watch bracelet," "bracelet watch," "wristlet watch" or simply "wristlet" for women. After World War I, watch manufacturers tried to negate the wristwatch's feminine image by advertising that reassured men of the wristwatch's sturdy masculinity. But even as late as 1943, wristwatches were still called "bracelet watches" or "wristlets," recalling feminine jewelry.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1917

  manufacturer

  Elgin National Watch Co.

  ID Number

  ME.333963

  catalog number

  333963

  accession number

  304914

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Spectacles

  Description

  In the nineteenth century this type of eyewear was referred to as eye protectors or railroad glasses. They have four colored lenses and were worn to help protect weak eyes from bright light, dust, and the wind when out riding or driving. They have steel frames with double lenses (sometimes referred to as Double-D lenses) and are tinted different shades of blue and blue-green. Lenses could be found in shades of blue, green, amber, and gray. The bows are sliding extension temples terminating in a teardrop-shaped fenestration. This pair of eyeglasses date from about 1850.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1850

  ID Number

  MG.317912.064

  accession number

  317912

  catalog number

  317912.064

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Spectacles

  Description

  These black wire mesh goggles with oval aqua-colored lenses were designed to protect the eyes from the wind and dust. A cotton cord wraps around the head to keep the goggles secure. Advertisements suggested the goggles would be particularly useful keeping cinders from the eyes while traveling in a railroad car.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1860

  maker

  unknown

  ID Number

  MG.317912.088

  accession number

  317912

  catalog number

  317912.088

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Spectacles

  Description

  These silver-framed eyeglasses with round lenses are know as Martin's Margins. They were invented by Benjamin Martin (1704–1782), an instrument maker from London, England. The dark rims were supposed to protect wearers from excessive light and improve their vision. This pair probably dates from the second half of the eighteenth century. Most Martin's Margins frames are made from steel or silver and have either horn or tortoiseshell rims.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1750-1800

  maker

  unknown

  ID Number

  MG.M-11223

  accession number

  260033

  catalog number

  M-11223

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Whaler's Monkey Belt

  Description

  After a whale was captured and killed, its carcass was towed by the whaleboat to the side of the mother ship for processing. Cutting up the whale was done by crewmen standing on a wooden plank, or cutting stage, rigged out over the side of the ship so that they could stand directly over the body. Crewmen used this canvas “monkey belt” to secure themselves while they stripped the whale of its blubber. It was dangerous and slippery work. If a sailor slid into the water he risked drowning or being attacked by sharks looking for an easy meal.

  date made

  1883

  ID Number

  AG.057716

  catalog number

  057716

  accession number

  2009.0184

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Fishermen’s Woolen Nippers

  Description

  Fishermen working trawl lines in the 19th century often suffered cuts and rope burns on their hands. They typically wore mittens or gloves to protect themselves when hauling the long lines aboard and removing the fish. These sturdy but soft rings, called nippers, are knitted of woolen yarn and stuffed with more wool. They would have fit around a fisherman’s palms, protecting his hands while his fingers remained free for tasks requiring dexterity.

  These nippers were probably made in Gloucester, Mass., for use by local fishermen working on offshore schooners. The shallow, fertile banks stretching from Georges Bank east of Nantucket to the Grand Bank off Newfoundland, Canada, were prime fishing areas for Gloucestermen. Cod, haddock, and halibut were the principal species caught by fishermen working aboard schooners in these waters in the late 19th century.

  These nippers were among the fishermen’s clothing, tools, and apparatus featured by the United States in the 1883 International Fisheries Exhibition in London.

  Date made

  1880s

  used

  late 19th century

  on exhibit

  1883

  ID Number

  AG.102074

  catalog number

  102074

  accession number

  2009.0157

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Whalebone and Bone Umbrella

  Description

  The bony substance from the mouths of whales known as baleen is formed of keratin, like human hair and nails. It hangs in long, parallel sheets from the upper jaws of the blue, right, and minke whales, as well as other lesser-known species. Its hairy fringe filters food from seawater.

  Dried out, baleen’s strength and flexibility made it ideal for buggy whips, corset busks, and umbrella ribs before the advent of plastic. A whale’s bone could actually be worth more than its oil. This man’s large umbrella has a wooden shaft, heavy hinged baleen ribs made in short sections, and an ivory handle. Marked “G. Hobbs, Barre,” it belonged to the donor’s grandfather, who lived in Barre, Massachusetts, until around the end of the Civil War.

  Date made

  ca 1835-1865

  user

  Hobbs, George

  ID Number

  AG.169283.01

  accession number

  169283

  catalog number

  169283.01

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Patent Model for the Improvement in Ear-Rings

  Description (Brief)

  Small metal model or example of a design for a spring clasp mechanism to securing an earring to the ear lobe. The design specifications also allowed for and concave/convex discs to help the earring seat itself on the ear lobe or a pin on the disc incase the wearer had pierced ears (This model does not show the pin). The model also shows two eye hooks. One allowed for a dangle and the other allowed a chain and hair clip that would attach to the hair for security.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  ca 1876

  patent date

  1877-03-13

  inventor

  Weed, Louisa A.

  ID Number

  AG.188323

  catalog number

  188323

  accession number

  89797

  patent number

  188,323

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  1900 Chinese Woman’s Slippers for Bound Feet

  Description

  Mrs. Lee had bound feet her entire life. Her daughter, Grace Mok, noted in an oral history that her limited mobility and difficulty in walking required her to be accompanied wherever she went. Though these are not Ng Shee Lee’s shoes, they are similar to those she wore.

  Foot binding in China may have originated as early as 900 AD. Though outlawed by the conquering Manchus in the 17th century, the Han Chinese retained the social practice into the 20th century.

  Location

  Currently not on view

  date made

  1900

  maker

  unknown

  ID Number

  AG.A.2937

  accession number

  1926.93542

  catalog number

  A.2937

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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  Sperm Whale Tooth Watch Stand

  Description

  Scrimshaw known to have been made specifically for men is comparatively rare. This unfinished tooth was hollowed out at the back to carry a gentleman’s pocket watch inside, perhaps set on a wardrobe, a bureau or a dressing table overnight.

  Patriotic imagery was very popular on American scrimshaw. At the top is a large eagle in flight clutching arrows and an olive branch; the hole for the watch is framed by a simple scalloped line. The space at the bottom was probably reserved for the owner’s initials or possibly a date, and the two holes were likely drilled for ivory buttons. The piece was unfinished when it was donated in 1875 by J. H. Clark of Newport, R.I.

  date made

  19th century

  Associated Date

  collected

  ID Number

  DL.024905

  catalog number

  024905

  accession number

  4331

  Data Source

  National Museum of American History

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