This brooch is made of felt; I don’t know who designed or made the brooch. I bought it from an American dealer but given its clear association with Basset’s Allsorts I wonder whether it was originally made in the UK. I love the bright colours and 3 dimensions to the design.
Felt making is an ancient craft stretching back thousands of years. The first confirmed evidence is of felt hats found in the Mongolian Region of China dating to 1800 BC, but excavations in Anatolia (now central Turkey) indicate felting could go back as far as 6000 BC. There are many myths surrounding the origins of felt, it is said St Clement and St Christopher packed sheep’s wool fleeces into their sandals to prevent blisters when fleeing persecution; some claim it was Roman soldiers marching across Gaul and England in the cold. Whichever myth origin you pick they both agree, it was the sweat and movement of feet which created felt socks! One can only imagine how they smelt! Whatever its origins, felt production and use spread across Asia and Europe. Modern felting machines in the mid-19th century rapidly increased its use in an even wider range of items including – carpet underlay, washers, gaskets, filters, polishing wheels, drumsticks, piano parts and felt pens.
I have fond memories of ‘Fuzzy Felts’ as a child. The first ‘Fuzzy Felt’ toys for children were introduced in 1950 but Fuzzy-Felt was invented by Lois Allan during World War II who made felt gaskets for sealing components in tanks. The work was done by women, so Lois set up a creche for the workers’ children. She noticed the children enjoyed playing with the off-cut pieces of felt which stuck together. John Lewis and Heals were the first to realise the potential of ‘Fuzzy Felt’ toys; you can still buy ‘Fuzzy Felts today. These days many designers and jewellery makers use felt to make necklaces, bags and of course brooches.
Liquorice was originally used as a medicine. In ancient Greece, physicians used liquorice root for chest complaints, and the Romans gave their soldiers liquorice root to chew, to help quench their thirst on long marches. It is believed by historians that Cleopatra used it to preserve her beauty. In the mid-18th century, chemist George Dunhill developed the liquorice lozenge as a sweet meat and named it Pomfret Cakes. They were also known as Yorkshire Pennies, because of their origin and shape and by 1885 there were ten companies producing liquorice sweets in Pontefract. In 1842 George Bassett founded his confectionary business in Sheffield, making liquorice novelties combining liquorice and cream paste. It was in 1899 that a Bassett’s salesman Charlie Thompson was visiting a wholesaler in Leicester with his samples, which at that point were all individual and separate. The wholesaler was not interested so as Charlie gathered up all his separate boxes, he dropped them, mixing up all the colours and shapes. The wholesaler liked the mixture and placed an order. Liquorice Allsorts was born. The company’s iconic logo is thought to have been created in 1929 but it was not until the 1950s when he came into his own.
Liquorice Allsorts are still widely available today, and the Bertie Bassett iconography can still be seen on some brands. My favourites are the pink and blue round ones with hundreds and thousands. Do you have a favourite?