Nimble thimble5/18/2023 ![]() The metal on later ones is thinner and the top is flatter.Ĭollecting thimbles became popular in the UK when many companies made special thimbles to commemorate the Great Exhibition held in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London. Early thimbles tend to be quite thick and to have a pronounced dome on the top. Another consequence of the mechanization of thimble production is that the shape and the thickness of the metal changed. A thimble with an irregular pattern of dimples was likely made before the 1850s. īefore the 18th century, the small dimples on the outside of a thimble were made by hand punching, but in the middle of that century, a machine was invented to do the job. Thimble-knocking also refers to the practice of Victorian schoolmistresses who would tap on the heads of unruly pupils with dames thimbles. Prostitutes used them in the practice of thimble-knocking where they would tap on a window to announce their presence. In the early modern period, thimbles were used to measure spirits and gunpowder, which brought rise to the phrase "just a thimbleful". This tradition has continued to the present day. From the 16th century onwards silver thimbles were regarded as an ideal gift for ladies.Įarly Meissen porcelain and elaborate, decorated gold thimbles were also given as keepsakes and were usually quite unsuitable for sewing. Since then, however, they have gained many other uses. Originally, thimbles were used simply solely for pushing a needle through fabric or leather as it was being sewn. Thimble artists would also utilize enameling, or the Guillochétechniques advanced by Peter Carl Fabergé. Cabochon adornments are sometimes made of cinnabar, agate, moonstone, or amber. Rarer works from thimble makers utilized diamonds, sapphires, or rubies. Natural sources were also utilized such as Connemara marble, bog oak or mother of pearl.Īdvanced thimblemakers enhanced thimbles with semi-precious stones to adorn the apex or along the outer rim. Early thimbles were sometimes made from whale bone, horn, or ivory. Thimbles are usually made from metal, leather, rubber, wood, and even glass or china. ![]() At the same time, cheaper sources of silver from the Americas made silver thimbles a popular item for the first time. By the end of the 18th century, thimble making had moved to Birmingham, and shifted to the "deep drawing" method of manufacture, which alternated hammering of sheet metals with annealing, and produced a thinner-skinned thimble with a taller shape. ![]() He later moved his mill to Buckinghamshire to take advantage of water-powered production, resulting in a capacity to produce more than two million thimbles per year. In 1693, a Dutch thimble manufacturer named John Lofting established a thimble manufactory in Islington, in London, England, expanding British thimble production to new heights. Early centers of thimble production were those places known for brass-working, starting with Nuremberg in the 15th century, and moving to Holland by the 17th. Medieval thimbles were either cast brass or made from hammered sheet. Īccording to the United Kingdom Detector Finds Database, thimbles dating to the 10th century have been found in England, and thimbles were in widespread use there by the 14th century.Īlthough there are isolated examples of thimbles made of precious metals- Elizabeth I is said to have given one of her ladies-in-waiting a thimble set with precious stones-the vast majority of metal thimbles were made of brass. History Pre-17th century Īs the purpose of a thimble is to prevent discomfort while sewing by providing a barrier between fingertips and the blunt end of a needle, it is likely that the earliest thimbles were created closely following the invention of sewing. ![]() The Old English word þȳmel, the ancestor of thimble, is derived from Old English þūma, the ancestor of the English word thumb. Der Fingerhüter (Thimblemaker) from Das Ständebuch by Jost Amman, 1568Ī thimble is a small pitted cup worn on the finger that protects it from being pricked or poked by a needle while sewing.
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