Victorian Photo order Swivel Brooch Lord Palmerston

Victorian Brooch - Photo Swivel

Original mid-Victorian (1850 - 1860) swivel brooch with a cut out carte de visite photo of Henry John “Harry” Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston one side and black silk on the other which would normally be used for hair work. This style of brooch was very popular during the 1850's - either side could be swiveled around so that it would face front. Brooch measures 2" in width by 2 1/4" in length with period correct tube hinge and "c" clasp closure. Pin back extends beyond the body of the brooch by 1/4", consistent with brooches of the mid-Victorian era. Mount is of gold gilt. Both sides have glass cover which can be removed so that it could be reused for hair work or photo and I can point you to a fabulous hair work artist who does incredible work! Okay

Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC, FRS (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman, who was twice Prime Minister.

Born
20 October 1784, Westminster, London

Died
18 October 1865, Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire

Dates in office
1859 to 1865, 1855 to 1858

Political party
Whig and Liberal

Major acts
Government of India Bill 1858: transferring control of the East India Company to the Crown.

Interesting facts
Florence Nightingale said of Palmerston after his death; “Though he made a joke when asked to do the right thing he always did it. He was so much more in earnest than he appeared, he did not do himself justice.”

Biography
Lord Palmerston became enormously popular thanks to his assertive and ‘manly' foreign policy which proclaimed Britain's values as a model for the world to follow. He served in government for 46 years.
Although he generally avoided controversial domestic reforms, Palmerston was instrumental in getting Parliament to approve the creation of the Divorce Court in 1857. Before this, people wanting a divorce had had to get a private act of Parliament passed.

The carte de visite (French for "visiting card" and abbreviated CdV), was a type of small photograph which was patented in Paris by photographer André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri in 1854, although first used by Louis Dodero. Each photograph was the size of a visiting card, and such photograph cards were commonly traded among friends and visitors in the 1860s. Albums for the collection and display of cards became a common fixture in Victorian parlors. The immense popularity of these card photographs led to the publication and collection of photographs of prominent persons. The carte de visite photograph proved to be a very popular item during the American Civil War. Soldiers, friends and family members would have a means of inexpensively obtaining photographs and sending them to loved ones in small envelopes. Photos of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and other celebrities of the era became instant hits in the North. People were not only buying photographs of order themselves, but also collecting photographs of celebrities.

Take a look at my other original Victorian brooches! http://www.etsy.com/shop/victoriansentiments?section_id=7179660