Spangles Collection

Spangles Coronation advertisement
Lovely advertisement for Spangles fruit sweets - the sweet way to go gay - showing a crowd excitedly watching the Coronation and waving flags. Date: 1953

Detail of a Stomacher, c. 1730-50 (silk & linen)
3061947 Detail of a Stomacher, c.1730-50 (silk & linen) by English School, (18th century); Manchester Art Gallery, UK; © Manchester Art Gallery

Stomacher, c. 1700-30 (silk & linen)
3061952 Stomacher, c.1700-30 (silk & linen) by English School, (18th century); Manchester Art Gallery, UK; © Manchester Art Gallery

Woman in a kerchief-turban and tunic dress, 1798 (handcoloured copperplate engraving)
5986565 Woman in a kerchief-turban and tunic dress, 1798 (handcoloured copperplate engraving) by French School, (18th century); (add.info.: Woman in a kerchief-turban and tunic dress, 1798)

Woman in the fashion of 1798 (handcoloured copperplate engraving)
5986583 Woman in the fashion of 1798 (handcoloured copperplate engraving) by French School, (18th century); (add.info.: Woman in the fashion of 1798)

Advertisement, Fruit Spangles. 1954

Common Spangle Gall Wasp (Neuroterus quercusbaccarum) galls, on underside of Oak (Quercus sp. ) leaf
Common Spangle Gall Wasp (Neuroterus quercusbaccarum) galls, on underside of Oak (Quercus sp.) leaf, Downe Bank Nature Reserve, North Downs, Kent, England, august

Spangle Gall (Neuroterus numismalis) On underside of oak leaves

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

Step back in time to the elegant world of 18th century fashion, where spangles brought a sparkle to grand occasions. In the advertisement for Spangles Coronation, these shimmering delights were promised to make any event a royal affair. But long before these sweet treats graced dessert tables, nature had its own way of creating spangles. Galls formed on oak leaves by the Common Spangle Gall Wasp (Neuroterus quercusbaccarum) and the Spangle Gall Wasp (Neuroterus numismalis) bore an uncanny resemblance to the decorative embellishments adorning the stomacher of a fashionable woman's dress, as seen in engravings from the late 1700s. With intricate detailing akin to the silk and linen stomacher from the Victoria and Albert Museum, these natural wonders added a touch of opulence to the natural world. So, whether adorning a dessert or a dress, they have long held a place in our fascination with the beautiful and the extraordinary.