Name/Title

Pin holder

About this object

This pin holder is made from a circular piece of blue cardboard with three concentric bands under which 57 pins are secured. The outer most band is embossed with the words “Peace on Earth & Goodwill to Men, Peyton & Iles, London & Birmingham Patent.” The central band is embossed with the word “Exhibition Pins for All Nations, 1851.” The inner band is embossed with the words “The Crystal Palace, London.” Within the inner band is a picture of the Crystal Palace. On the reverse of the card is a handwritten note which reads “Mary Eliza Lush, E. L. 1851.”

The Crystal Palace was the building that housed the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London, during 1851. The Great Exhibition consisted of 14,000 exhibitors from 28 countries who displayed examples of the latest technology developed during the Industrial Revolution. Approximately six million people visited the Exhibition over the five-month period it was on. It is likely Mary Eliza Lush was sent this by a family member, possibly her Aunt Eliza, who was living in England at this time.

Mary Eliza was the daughter of the Anglican minister Viscesimus Lush and his wife Blanche. She was born in England in 1847 and moved with her family to Auckland in 1850 when her father was appointed the priest of the All Saints church in Howick, Auckland. Tragically, Mary Eliza died from scarlet fever in 1854 aged 7 years. Her older sister Charlotte Sarah and her younger brother Alfred also died from Scarlet Fever within a ten-day period. While the death of child was not unusual during the Victorian era, this does not mean that the loss was not felt greatly by parents and family members. In the Lush family archives held at Ewelme Cottage there are a number of mementoes which serve as poignant reminders of the family tragic loss.

For more information about the Lush family and Ewelme Cottage, which is cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, visit our website.

Maker

Payton & Iles

Maker Role

Manufacturer

Date Made

1851

Place Made

London, England

Medium and Materials

Cardboard, metal and paper

Measurements

6.6cm (diameter)

Subject and Association Keywords

Girlhood

Credit Line

Collection of Ewelme Cottage, Heritage New Zealand Historic Pouhere Taonga

Object Type

Pin holder

Object number

XEC.538

Copyright Licence  

All rights reserved

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