SIZE: 7 CM (OPEN)
"Is it a crochet hook? Or is it a fish hook? Already warmer. In fact, you can "fish" something with it, namely buttons and cords. Women's fashion from the second half of the 19th century until the years around the First World War was full of them. This hook proved to be particularly useful for two items of clothing: for the corset and for boots.
The corset has a long tradition as a garment that dates back to the Renaissance. It was not only women who were squeezed in, children and men were also subject to fashion, which at times demanded a narrow waist. Around the middle of the 19th century, the classic hourglass shape of the corset emerged, which allowed a large bust and hip width with a slim waist as an ideal. The belly remained untouched at first, but in the last quarter of the century the dresses were cut narrower and narrower at the front and the body of the wearer had to adapt.
The corset, which deprived women of their mobility and sometimes even the air to breathe, was only to be found in the bourgeoisie, where the lady was relieved of physical labor. At the same time, she needed help to put on a corset. In the classic film "Gone with the Wind" (1939), you can watch Scarlett O'Hara let herself be constricted by her servant in order to achieve the desired girlish waist. For tightening or loosening the lacing, the hook was a simple tool. However, it proved to be helpful not only for underwear, but also for the tight-fitting dresses, blouses and jackets of the time, which were peppered with rows of buttons. Dressing and undressing were time-consuming processes in which the hook was a welcome help.
It became indispensable as a button aid in the tight-fitting women's boots that encased the feet of many women for a generation. Permanently made of sturdy leather or heavy fabrics, they were fastened with numerous buttons. Only when such a boot was wide open could it be slipped over the foot at all. The buttonholes were stiff and difficult to open with the fingers. Luckily, you could use the button hook, slide it through, grab the button and pull it through the opening. It's no wonder that the ladies didn't take off their shoes so quickly and always carried the handy tool with them in case a button opened. Our patent hook from around 1900 can therefore even be folded away to save space and belongs in every woman's handbag."