The Birth of a Pin

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22949, 29 January 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

The Birth of a Pin

DEAR BOYS AND GIRLS,— BEFORE the year 1540 pins were unknown in England. Ladies fastened their 'kerchief* and laces with brooches, clasps, or skewers of bone, but no one had thought of making use of wire for this purpose. Katherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII., introduced pins into England. They came from France, and were made of brass wire, with a finer sort of wire twisted round one end to form the head. We should have found them very clumsy, but in those days they were a great novelty. Queen Katherine prized her French pins highly. Court lad.es were delighted wil:h them, «nd quickly the fashion spread. Pin-making at the present day is a complicated business. From .t. startmg point, .. . roll of wire, .. the tin.. when it i. ne.tl, P~M - lh. Pin p...« through fourteen .ep.r.te proc.e., emer.m, .1 l.n.th, . « , different .rticle from th. un„.inly .kewer. K.th.rm. .nd her 1.d... thou ß ht a prize. » * * • * • tt\y* self-portrait competition. Judging from Entries have been pouring in for the P 11 ..fin to be cetting a tremendous amount of the accompanying letter, you all seem to be ge« ng fun out of it, and that is the main thing aftC There is still plenty of time to send in tO your entries. , . . " Lots of love, from