Utility belt, circa 1830.

From notebooks to knives to household seals, these stunning accessories were a Victorian woman’s best friend. Named after the complex key rings carried by “la chatelaine,” the women who ran estates and carried tools and a set of keys to the grounds, chatelaines were worn at the waist and became an intrinsic part of the fashion of the day. They were perhaps the best-looking tool belts in history.

I find it incredibly frustrating that the majority of modern women’s clothing is without usable pockets, and this frustration is not a new one.  Victorian women had a great idea. Since purse styles tended toward small, flimsy pouches, they’d simply hang whatever else they needed from these surprisingly sturdy clips at their waists. I’m just surprised that there really isn’t a contemporary equivalent. I guess that explains the size of handbags these days.

In addition to their obvious usefulness, in the 19th century, chatelaines were used to illustrate a woman’s household status among England’s landed gentry. According to Wikipedia, which is never wrong, the woman who controlled access to the house’s desks, chests of drawers, food hampers, pantries, storage containers, and other locked cabinets was considered the head of the household.  She was the one who would direct the servants, and servicemen and would grant (or restrict) access to the house’s valuables. Typically, this responsibility was given to the household’s matriarch. When a woman married a son and moved into his father’s house, the son’s mother would usually hold on to the keys. Once either the mother or father died, the keys and their responsibilities and status were passed to the oldest resident son’s wife. Wanting to give the impression of similar status, younger women in the house would sometimes wear chatelaines with other useful or decorative objects in place of the keys.

Archaeological evidence shows that chatelaines were in use as early as 300 AD, though they didn’t get their name until the 1800s.  Ancient Roman women used them to carry toiletry items like ear scoops, nail cleaners, and tweezers. Yuck, by the way.

Author Genevieve Cummins published a beautiful (and very expensive) book in 1994, Chatelaines – Utility to Glorious Extravagance. Of course, it’s out of print, but you can pick one up on Amazon for about $150. If you do, may I please borrow it?