Comb

PeriodCirca 1820-1830

MediumTortoiseshell

Dimensions6.5 × 7 × 2.63 in. (16.5 × 17.8 × 6.7 cm)

ClassificationsCostume, Women's

Credit LineGift of Kate L. Poinsett, 1944

Object number1909

DescriptionA woman's curved high hair comb, of boldly figured dark brown and amber colored tortoiseshell, with 21 elongated teeth.
Curatorial RemarksCurved decorative combs were popular fashion accessories for decades. Usually made from the top layers of the shell of the hawksbill sea turtle, the material was lightweight and easily molded and formed into a variety of shapes. After boiling in salt water, the shell was molded and cut. During the late 1810s, 1820s, and into the 1830s, these shell combs were used to fasten and decorate the hairstyles of the day, usually tucked behind a coiled, twisted, or braided length of hair. The comb was positioned so the solid portion of the panel stood above the wearer's head, allowing light to pass through the comb and show off the bold figuring. Many combs were imported from Great Britain and China, although there were combmakers in many larger cities such as Philadelphia and New York.NotesThis comb was donated by lifelong Imlaystown resident Miss Katherine "Kate" L. Poinsett (1865-1944).

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