Crimping Collection

Straw-Plait and Bonnet-Making at Luton (engraving)
1621683 Straw-Plait and Bonnet-Making at Luton (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Straw-Plait and Bonnet-Making at Luton)

Fishing: The Trollers Knife (litho)
6027950 Fishing: The Trollers Knife (litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Trollers Knife)

Crimping a Quaker (coloured engraving)
611143 Crimping a Quaker (coloured engraving) by Rowlandson, Thomas (1756-1827); Private Collection; (add.info.: Crimping a Quaker. Published 1814)

Sad irons, curling and goffering irons
A selection of home appliances, as featured in a catalogue. A sad iron and stand, a polishing iron, a spirit iron, a hat iron for ironing brims and a Dalli box iron are pictured

Girl brushing her long wavy hair

Ironing room in a laundry. Washroom through door in the background. On the left is the stove for heating the flatirons. Woman second from right is holding a goffering iron for fluting

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From the depths of Our Fishing Industries, line-fishing for cod is a traditional craft, as depicted in this engraving. Meanwhile, on land, artisans in Luton were busy creating intricate straw-plait and bonnet-making masterpieces, as shown in another engraving. The fishing theme continued with the use of trollers' knives in lithographs. Back at the Royal Seamen and Marines Orphan Home in Portsmouth, the ironing room buzzed with activity, with sad irons and curling and goffering irons at the ready. Fast forward to 1911, and the trade catalogues were filled with hair accessories, perfect for creating elegant updos. But let's not forget the humble crimping iron, a must-have tool for achieving the latest hairstyles, as seen in this coloured engraving of a Quaker woman. And who could resist the allure of a girl brushing her long, wavy hair, reminiscent of the meticulous care given to the ironed garments in the laundry's ironing room?