Rogers Series 9: Embroidery scissors
Series 9. A pair of embroidery scissors with mother-of-pearl bows.
Early scissors varied widely in design, but all had the same key elements: bows (handles), shanks (piece between the handles and the blades), and blades. Modern scissors were developed in 1761 when a method to make steel scissors was discovered. Until the 1830s, these and all other scissors were made by hand, and the craftsmanship and variance in these items make them a valuable addition to the Rogers collection. Some of these scissors were created for specific fitted workboxes, while others were designed to be sold individually. The scissor cases were created to protect the blades from rusting and the sewers from the blades鈥� sharp edges, and often also have some decorative aspect that matches or complements the scissors in some way.
This series includes five subseries: Steel scissors and silver sheaths, silver scissors and sheaths, mother-of-pearl and other French scissors, miscellaneous scissors, and scissor cases. This series鈥檚 scissors and cases are small and dated from c. 1790-1910. The designs on both the scissors and the sheaths range from simple to elaborate and depict flowers, serpents, women鈥檚 faces, and other decorative elements. These images were placed on the scissors through techniques such as beading and carving.