Thimble

As the purpose of a thimble is to prevent discomfort while sewing by providing a barrier between fingertips and the blunt end of a needle, it is likely that the earliest thimbles were created closely following the invention of sewing.{{cite journal |last1=Hill |first1=E. |date=1995 |title=Thimbles and Thimble Rings from the Circum-Caribbean Region, 1500-1800: Chronology and Identification |journal=Historical Archaeology |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=84–92 |doi= 10.1007/BF03374210|jstor=25616355 |s2cid=163977710 }}

According to the United Kingdom Detector Finds Database,{{cite web|url=http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/thimble.html|title=Thimbles - ukdfd|website=www.ukdfd.co.uk|access-date=13 January 2018}} thimbles dating to the 10th century have been found in England, and thimbles were in widespread use there by the 14th century.

Although there are isolated examples of thimbles made of precious metals—Elizabeth I is said to have given one of her ladies-in-waiting a thimble set with precious stones—the vast majority of metal thimbles were made of brass. Medieval thimbles were either cast brass or made from hammered sheet. Early centers of thimble production were those places known for brass-working, starting with Nuremberg in the 15th century, and moving to Holland by the 17th.

{{Gallery

|align=center

|File:Early cylinder.jpg|A very early hand-dimpled soldered cylinder thimble.

|File:14c Nurnberg thimble.jpg|Cast 14th century thimble.

|File:I4c brass Nurnberg thimble.jpg|Deep drawn Nürnberg thimble. 16th century.

}}

File:Lofting type.jpg

In 1693, a Dutch thimble manufacturer named John Lofting established a thimble manufactory in Islington, in London, England, expanding British thimble production to new heights.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RmM9AQAAIAAJ&q=carbonic+oxide|title=Scientific American|date=1869-06-19|publisher=Munn & Company|pages=387|language=en}} He later moved his mill to Buckinghamshire to take advantage of water-powered production, resulting in a capacity to produce more than two million thimbles per year. By the end of the 18th century, thimble making had moved to Birmingham, and shifted to the "deep drawing" method of manufacture, which alternated hammering of sheet metals with annealing, and produced a thinner-skinned thimble with a taller shape. At the same time, cheaper sources of silver from the Americas made silver thimbles a popular item for the first time.

Thimbles are usually made from metal, leather, rubber, wood, and even glass or china. Early thimbles were sometimes made from whale bone, horn, or ivory. Natural sources were also utilized such as Connemara marble, bog oak or mother of pearl.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023|reason=Marble is not exactly a common material. was this supposed to be an adornment?}}.

Advanced thimblemakers enhanced thimbles with semi-precious stones to adorn the apex or along the outer rim. Rarer works from thimble makers utilized diamonds, sapphires, or rubies. Cabochon adornments are sometimes made of cinnabar, agate, moonstone, or amber. Thimble artists would also utilize enameling, or the Guilloché techniques advanced by Peter Carl Fabergé.{{cite web |url=http://thimbles.zzl.org/Faberge.html |title=Fabergé Thimbles |access-date=2012-12-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225070921/http://thimbles.zzl.org/Faberge.html |archive-date=2012-12-25 |work=More about Thimbles |author1=Isbister, Magdalena |author2=Isbister, William}}

Originally, thimbles were used simply solely for pushing a needle through fabric or leather as it was being sewn. Since then, however, they have gained many other uses. From the 16th century onwards{{cite book |author=Holmes E.F. |title=A history of Thimbles |location=London |publisher=Cornwall Books |date= 1985}} silver thimbles were regarded as an ideal gift for ladies.

File:Meissen thimble.jpg

Early Meissen porcelain and elaborate, decorated gold thimbles were also given as keepsakes and were usually quite unsuitable for sewing. This tradition has continued to the present day. In the early modern period, thimbles were used to measure spirits and gunpowder, which brought rise to the phrase "just a thimbleful". Prostitutes used them in the practice of thimble-knocking where they would tap on a window to announce their presence.Dreesmann C. A thimble full.… Utrecht/Netherlands: Cambium, 1983. pp.75. Thimble-knocking also refers to the practice of Victorian schoolmistresses who would tap on the heads of unruly pupils with dames thimbles.{{cite web |url=http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Thimbles-Not-as-Simple-as-they-Seem-319258.html |title=Thimbles: Not as Simple as they Seem - Fun Facts, Questions, Answers, Information |work=Funtrivia.com}}

Before the 18th century, the small dimples on the outside of a thimble were made by hand punching, but in the middle of that century, a machine was invented to do the job. A thimble with an irregular pattern of dimples was likely made before the 1850s. Another consequence of the mechanization of thimble production is that the shape and the thickness of the metal changed. Early thimbles tend to be quite thick and to have a pronounced dome on the top. The metal on later ones is thinner and the top is flatter.

Collecting thimbles became popular in the UK when many companies made special thimbles to commemorate the Great Exhibition held in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London.

In the 19th century, many thimbles were made from silver; however, it was found that silver is too soft a metal and can be easily punctured by most needles. Charles Horner solved the problem by creating thimbles consisting of a steel core covered inside and out by silver, so that they retained their aesthetics but were now more practical and durable. He called his thimble the Dorcas, and these are now popular with collectors. There is a small display of his work in Bankfield Museum, Halifax, England.

{{gallery|align=center

|File:Exhibition of All Nations 1851.jpg|Silver thimble commemorating the Great Exhibition

|File:Dorcas thimble.jpg|Dorcas thimble

}}

Early American thimbles made of whale bone or tooth featuring miniature scrimshaw designs are considered valuable collectibles. Such rare thimbles are prominently featured in a number of New England Whaling Museums.The Hunt Collection, Washington Historical Society, Washington, Connecticut.

During the First World War, silver thimbles were collected from "those who had nothing to give" by the British government and melted down to buy hospital equipment.{{cite web|url=http://findingshakespeare.co.uk/a-history-of-the-humble-thimble|title=A history of the humble thimble - Finding Shakespeare|work=Finding Shakespeare|date=16 May 2016 }} In the 1930s and 1940s glass-topped thimbles were used for advertising.

Leaving a sandalwood thimble in a fabric store was a common practice for keeping moths away.Holmes EF. A history of thimbles. London: Cornwall Books, 1985. pp. 128. Thimbles have also been used as love-tokens and to commemorate important events. People who collect thimbles are known as digitabulists. One superstition about thimbles says that if a person has three thimbles given to them, they will never be married.[http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t72.e1436 "THIMBLE"] A Dictionary of Superstitions. Ed. Iona Opie and Moira Tatem. Oxford University Press, 1996. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Westminster College (PA). 28 August 2012

File:Thimble Toronto April 2010.jpg]]

Most of these thimble makers no longer create thimbles.

{{Div col|colwidth=12em}}

• Avon Fashion Thimbles
• Wicks (Inventor USA)
• A Feaù and René Lorillon (French)
• Charles Horner (UK) (1837–1896)
• Charles Iles (UK)
• Charles May
• Anthony Stavrianoudakis (GR)
• Gabler Bros (German)
• Henry Fidkin (UK)
• Henry Griffith (UK)
• James Fenton (UK)
• James Swann (UK)
• Jean Levy (France)
• Johan Caspar Rumpe (Germany)
• Ketcham & McDougall (USA)
• Meissen (German)
• Roger Lenain (French)
• Samuel & Foskett (UK)
• Simons Bros Co (USA){{cite web|url=http://www.simonsbrothers.com/|title=Simons Brothers Company: Jewelry Manufacturers|website=Simonsbrothers.com}}
• Stern Bros & Co (USA)
• Uyu (USA)
• Waite-Thresher (USA)
• Webster (USA)
• William Prym (Germany)

{{div col end}}

File:Gummifinger (fcm).jpg

File:Sewing palm (AM 1969.12-4).jpg

Thimblettes (also known as rubber finger, rubber thimbles and finger cones) are soft thimbles, made predominately of rubber, used primarily for leafing through or counting documents, bank notes, tickets, or forms. They also protect against paper cuts as a secondary function. Unlike thimbles, the softer thimblettes become worn over time. They are considered disposable and sold in boxes. The surface is dimpled with the dimples inverted to provide better grip. Thimblettes are sized from 00 through to 3.{{clarify|date=September 2018}}

A finger cot is a smooth rubber "glove finger" used to protect the finger or the item being handled.

{{anchor|Sailmaker's palm}}

A variation on the thimble used by sailmakers and leather workers is the sail palm, also known as sailor's palm and sailmaker's palm. There are two variations, seaming palm which is used for light work, such as sewing canvas together and roping palm which is built for heavier work, such as sewing canvas and rope together.{{Citation|last=Ashley|first=Clifford W.|title=The Ashley Book of Knots|orig-year=1944|year=1993|publisher=Doubleday|location=New York|isbn=0-385-04025-3 | pages=20–22}}{{cite book|author=United States Government US Army|title=Technical Manual TM 4-42.21 (FM 10-16) General Fabric Repair July 2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VW-vAAAAQBAJ&pg=SA7-PA3|date=3 September 2013|publisher=ebook Publishing Team|isbn=978-1-4923-2099-9|pages=7–3}} This item consists of a pitted hard plate set into a stiff leather band that is worn around the palm of the hand, with the plate resting against the first joint of the thumb. It is used by grasping a needle between the thumb and indexing finger, with the eye end of the needle against the pitted plate, and pushing the needle with the entire arm. Most palms are hand specific to give the user a better fit. {{cite book|author=Hervey Garrett Smith|title=The Arts of the Sailor: Knotting, Splicing and Ropework|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4h7QsxJ8JyoC|date=8 August 2012|publisher=Courier Corporation|isbn=978-0-486-13268-6}} This design permits the sewer to exert a great amount of force when pushing thick needles through very tough materials such as sail cloth, canvas or leather. {{cite book|author=Don Casey|title=Canvaswork and Sail Repair|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WI__lvheIRkC|date=1 June 1996|publisher=McGraw Hill Professional|isbn=978-0-07-013391-4}}

In the Parker Brothers board game Monopoly, first published in 1935, the thimble was one of the eight traditional metal game pieces used to mark a player's position on the game board. However, this piece was replaced in new versions of the board game from August 2017 following public consultation.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/38994529/thimble-playing-piece-dropped-from-new-monopoly-game|title=Thimble playing piece dropped from new Monopoly game - BBC Newsbeat|date=16 February 2017|website=Bbc.co.uk|access-date=13 January 2018}}

In 2022, Hasbro again consulted the public on the removal of a current playing piece and the reintroduction of a previous one. The public voted for the return of the thimble, replacing the T-Rex.{{Cite news |date=May 31, 2022 |title=Thimble Returns & T-Rex Extinct: The New Monopoly Token Line Up has been announced! |work=Rich Uncle Pennybags |url=https://richunclepennybags.co.uk/thimble-returns-t-rex-extinct-the-new-monopoly-token-line-up-has-been-announced |access-date=December 10, 2024}}

On December 3, 1979, a London dealer bid the sum of $18,000 USD for a dentil shaped Meissen porcelain thimble, circa 1740, at Christie's auction in Geneva, Switzerland. The thimble, just over {{convert|0.5|in}} high, was painted in a rare lemon-yellow color about the band. It also had tiny harbor scene hand painted within gold-trimmed cartouches. The rim was scalloped with fired gold on its bottom edge. The thimble now belongs to a Meissen collector in Canada.Holmes EF. Thimble Notes and Queries, 1992; 14: 13

File:Post-medieval thimble, Sewing ring (a) (FindID 544385).jpg|16th–17th century English copper sewing ring

File:17c UK silver.jpg|17th century English silver

File:Brass Jacobean thimble.jpg|17th century Jacobean brass

File:Silver Jacobean thimble.jpg|17th century Jacobean silver

File:French gold thimble.jpg|18th century French gold

File:Filigree thimble with glass bottle.jpg|18th century silver filigree with scent bottle

File:Silver fingerguard.jpg|19th century Dutch fingerguard

File:Tunbridge wooden thimble.jpg|19th century English Tunbridge (wood)

File:French mother of pearl thimble.jpg|19th century French mother of pearl – Palais Royal

File:Souvenir thimble of Abbotsford.jpg|20th century English souvenir – Abbotsford House

File:Norwegian enamel (flower).jpg|20th century Norwegian enamel (basse-taille) – David Anderson

File:Russian filigree thimble.jpg|Pre-revolution Russian silver gilt filigree

File:Russian gold.jpg|Pre-revolution Russian gold

File:William Powell.jpg|20th century Royal Worcester – William Powell painter

File:Swedish gold.jpg|20th century Swedish gold

File:Sewing girls.jpg|20th century French silver – F Vernon 'Sewing girls'

File:Norwegian enamel thimble.jpg|20th century Norwegian enamel (guilloché)

{{Reflist}}

• Bridget McConnel. A Collector's Guide to Thimbles. Secaucus, New Jersey: Wellfleet Books, 1990.
• E. F. Holmes. A history of thimbles. London: Cornwall Books, 1985.
• J. J. von Hoelle. Thimble collector's encyclopedia. Illinois: Wallace-Homestead Book Company, 1986.
• E. Zalkin. Zalkin's Handbook of Thimbles & Sewing Implements, 1st ed. Willow Grove: Warman Publishing Co., Inc., 1985.
• M. Isbister, W. H. Isbister. [https://sites.google.com/site/moreaboutthimbles More about thimbles].

{{Commons category|Thimbles}}

• [http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201205/little.thimble.big.journey.htm Little Thimble, Big Journey] illustrated article on thimble history
• [http://www.fabergeresearch.com/thimblesframe.php Fabergé thimbles]
• [https://insilscientific.com/ article on types of cellulose extraction thimbles].
• [https://insilscientific.com/glass.html article on the uses of Glass micro fibre thimbles]

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