Brass - Tie clip - Dress lifter

Antique Victorian skirt lifter or dress elevator: Fyfe´s Patent sea shell design. Such accessories were used from the 1870s onwards used to lift heavy hemlines out of street mud and dirt.

A scissor-type skirt grip, made of silver plated brass, with ball finials and locking plate shaped as a shell. The plate is pushed down to open the wheels at the bottom, which push the fabric together. The plate then slides up and locks into position in the notches below the finials, hitching up the skirt to keep it out of the mud.

The ball finials are stamped 'Fyfe's patent' . This was Alexander Leslie Fyfe Ltd. of London, who patented several designs for lifters.

Condition: Good, no damages or repairs. Minor wear commensurate with age.

This lot will be carefully packaged and sent by registered and insured mail.