Links to the Past - Cuff Links
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Double Cuffs with Montblanc Cuff Link
Via Wikimedia Commons
‘Batchelor buttons’, ‘sleeve links’ or ‘boutons de
manchette’ - cuff links (by whatever
name they have been known), have long been a favoured gift for male relatives.
And the value of these small, decorative items to you now might be more than
purely financial. Indeed cuff links can give many clues to aspects of your
ancestor’s life in the past.
Like other items
of inherited jewellery, cuff links are, of course, most useful to family
history when there is paperwork connected with them; a letter or a will,
for example, in which particular pieces are described and perhaps even valued.
Alternatively, there might be a family story that explains how certain cuff
links came into the possession of your great-grandfather or uncle. They were
often given, for example, as gifts for weddings and – particularly –
graduations. But even without this supporting evidence, there are a number of
ways in which the items themselves can point us to aspects of our ancestors’
lives.
There is, for
example, the matter of class. ‘Double sided’ (‘double panelled’ or
‘double-faced’) cuff links are traditionally of the highest quality and may
indicate the wealth or elevated social status of an ancestor. From the late
nineteenth-century, ‘single-faced’ cuff links
(consisting of a one piece, ‘button-back’ design with decoration on the crown
at one end and a smaller, plain metal head at the other) became popular with
the masses. These, together with ‘dumbbell’ or ‘shank style’ cufflinks (with a gently curved but rigid shank)
which came to fashion in the early 1900s, may also denote an ancestor of lower
social status. As a brief rule of thumb - the more difficult a cufflink is
to fasten, the higher the class to which your ancestor probably belonged!
And then there is the matter of identity. In the late
nineteenth century, cuff links became increasingly more personalised. Some were
engraved with initials or dates, and these are a genealogist’s delight, of
course. Monograms of men’s names tend to have all three initials in the right
order and at the same size. On some cufflinks the initials of the owner are on
the reverse of the decorated face. Be careful, however, not to confuse
monograms with the maker’s mark which may also be made up of initials.
Cuff links might
also signal membership of an association. Some clubs, societies and military
regiments issued cuff links to their members. In 2008, a single cuff link
dating back to the late eighteenth century was found in the mud on the banks of
the River Thames. It was dicovered that this was one of a limited number of
such items which were presented to the officers serving Admiral Adam Duncan of
Lundie to celebrate his victory at the Battle of Camperdown (11th
Oct 1779), against the combined Dutch and French Fleets. Be careful, however,
of ascribing your cuff links to one organisation or another in the past. There
are many modern novelty cuff links with occupational or military themes.
Click here for more on books by Ruth A. Symes
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Cuff Links Timeline
Your cuff links may provide you with a taste of the era and
social circumstances in which your ancestor lived. If you have an unidentified
pair of cuff links, this brief timeline may help you to date them.
17th century. First cuff buttons (made of
glass) appear linked with a chain. These will gradually replace the ribbons or
pieces of string that have traditionally been used to fasten cuffs.
18th century. Cuff links are still seen as precious objects and remain the provenance of the very wealthy. They are handmade and comprise gold or silver with precious jewels as decoration.
1840s The ‘French cuff’, or ‘double cuff’ shirt
becomes stylish and produces a higher demand for cuff links. The middle classes
start to wear cuff links using cheaper materials such as gold-coloured alloys
and fake diamonds.
1850 Cuff links are becoming much more popular. A
variety of fastening mechanisms are devised but the most popular are those
which have one decorative panel with a swivel bar mechanism at the back to
secure the cuff link in place once it has been pushed through the button holes.
1860 Electroplating (which combines gold and silver
with other metals) helps the large-scale manufacture and distribution of gold-
and silver- plated cuff links. Mourning cuff links made from black jet were
very popular, particularly after the death of Prince Albert in 1861. Another
method of displaying grief was to wear glass cuff links which framed a lock of
an ancestor’s hair.
1887 The Parisian Boyer establishment – specialising
in collar studs and removable shirt fronts -
is founded. Cuff links are created in mother-of-pearl, pearls, enamel,
miniature mosaic work and precious or semi-precious stones. Tiffany, Cartier
and Faberge start to design different cuff links to suit different occasions
and mood.
1880 American George Kermentz begins mass-producing single-sided cufflinks from a converted, Civil War-era cartridge shell machine. This technology combined with the earlier invention of electroplating enables much cheaper cufflinks to be produced
1900 Cuff links appear with Art Nouveau motifs
including garland, foliage and irises and the profiles of women. Women start to
wear cuff links.
1900-1910 Shirt companies started mass-producing
shirts that already have buttons attached to their cuffs and consequently the
trade in cuff links declines somewhat.
1920-1930 The Art Deco movement gives rise to
abstract geometic motifs and enamel work. Eventually, top fashion precursors
like Cartier, Chaumet, Mellerio and Boucheron pursue this trend and produce
more Art Deco inspired cuff links.
1924 The Boyer establishment creates the ‘rolling
button’ or ‘rod-type’ cuff link made up of a stud linked to a rod that swivels
along its whole length between two stems
1930 ‘Press stud’ or ‘snap style’ cuff links come
into fashion. These consist of two identical studs often in bakelite, mother-of-pearl
or enamel which lock together via a small projection on one end and a matching
depression on the other end.
As well as alerting you to the historical period in which
they were acquired, cuff links may also tell you something about your ancestor’s
interests or character. The predilections of the owner of a pair of ‘fox head
hunting horn’ cuff links (made 1900) speak for themselves. The superstitious
Charles Dickens always wore the same pair of dented cuff links for luck when he
gave public readings. At times in history when there were few other fashion
accessories available by which a man could show his individuality, the diamond
or decorated cuff link peeking out from his sleeve was a rare opportunity for
self-expression. Flamboyant or conservative, gadfly or company man – the
chances are that you may glimpse your ancestor’s personality in the cuff links
he left behind.
Useful Websites
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Cuff links-Came-About&id=3247913 Article on the history of cuff links by Mary Michaels
http://www.clan-duncan.co.uk/viscount.html
For more about the cuff link belonging to Admiral Duncan of Lundie’s officer.
http://antiquecufflinks.blogspot.com
For a gallery of interesting and unusual cuff links in a variety of designs and
from a variety of periods.
Click here for more on books by Ruth A. Symes
Useful Books
Flusser, Alan. Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion. HarperCollins, 2002
Pizzin Bertrand and Liaut Jean-Noel, Cuff Links, Assouline, 2002
Jonas, Susan, and Marilyn Nissenson, Cuff Links,
Harry N. Abrams, 1991
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Keywords: European ancestors, Europe, ancestry, family history, genealogy, oral history, England, English, British Isles, UK, England, English, fashion, men, male, clothing, cuff links, jewellery, masculinity, male fashion, fashion
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