an antique victorian shell keep sake love token sailors valentine roundel depicting grace darlings famous rescue on 7 September 1838.
circa 1890
approx 230mm in diameter.
an exquisite round shaped curved glass covered diorama, ( often known as a bulls eye on account of its curved glass, port hole roundels had flat glass ) consisting of a victorian colour tinted print of grace darling and her father setting out on her famous rescue, surrounded by pelicans foot shells , cowrie, mussel, periwinkle and pretty coloured and pearlescent english and european shells
grace horsley darling (24 november 1815 – 20 october 1842) was an english lighthouse keepers daughter. her participation in the rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked forfarshire in 1838 brought her national fame. the paddle steamer ran aground on the farne islands off the coast of northumberland in northeast england; nine members of the crew were saved.
in the early hours of 7 september 1838, grace darling, looking from an upstairs window of the longstone lighthouse, spotted the wreck and survivors of the forfarshire on big harcar, a nearby low, rocky island. the forfarshire had foundered on the rocks and broken in half; one of the halves had sunk during the night.
grace and her father took a rowing boat, a 21 ft (6.4 m), four-man northumberland coble ( pictured in the carte de visite ) across to the survivors, taking a long route that kept to the lee side of the islands, a distance of nearly a mile (about 1.5 km). darling kept the coble steady in the water, while her father helped four men and the lone surviving woman, sarah dawson, into the boat.
tthis is a fine example of a shell keepsake. the shells are bright and all intact, they have been carefully cleaned and conserved removing a century of dirt, soot and grime to revitalise their natural beauty. the original brass and silk hanging ring has been replaced at some time with a later hanging ring.
shell work was very much in vogue when queen victoria came to the throne in 1837. her reign coincided with a period of tremendous social expansion as the industrial revolution gave more and more people free time, money and education to enjoy pastimes. coastal resorts and spas became popular holiday destinations. sea shells became very fashionable as souvenirs, in particular when they were incorporated into items such as this roundel, to be taken home as a reminder of the good times spent on holiday or as a keepsake or love token to be given to a potential suitor.
this antique shell keepsake was manufactured in the uk over 100 years ago.
