This fascinating display reveals two rare private collections of pin-stuck cushions dating from before and during the First World War (1914-18). Commonly known as ‘sweetheart pin cushions,’ they were in fact mostly made for mothers, often as Christmas gifts, by soldiers serving on the front line during their leisure time or while convalescing from injury.

Available in kits, the heart forms were decorated with pins, along with military insignia, images of monarchy, tiny objects, photographs and embroidered designs, some with deeply personal and symbolic meanings. Some Victorian cushions, made in various shapes, were crafted from red uniform cloth. Many would become treasured memorial objects.

The Material Heart: Front Line to Home Front is created by Amy de la Haye and Simon Costin and is the first display dedicated to these compelling items of British folk art. The collections belong to Simon Costin, Director of the Museum of British Folklore and the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic and subject specialist and private collector Alessandra Curtis.

Photography by Felix Reitze de la Haye

About the curator

Amy de la Haye is Professor of Dress History & Curatorship at London College of Fashion; contributor to SHOWstudio and serves as curatorial consultant for the Museum of British Folklore. The Fashion and Textile Museum is pleased to welcome Amy as a Curatorial Resident in the Museum’s Small Gallery, of which The Material Heart is the first in a series. Formerly she was fashion curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

This display in our Small Gallery runs alongside the exhibition Paint! Pattern! Print! that explores the textiles of Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell. To find out more about the Paint! Pattern! Print! and to book tickets click here. Entry to The Material Heart is free with a main exhibition ticket.