LA CHATELAINE

They were not jewels, they were for common and not aesthetic use, this does not mean that they were beautiful, worked, trimmed, so much so that they became real jewels and almost an important seal.
They were fastened on a belt (more rarely pins) and all those little objects that could always be handy were attached to them.
In the upper middle class families or nobles were worn by the housekeeper, head of the servants, in the bourgeois houses instead the mistress of the house wore maids but not a permanent housekeeper.
We find ourselves hung up with everything: earwigs, needle holders with thread for the points to be given on the fly, ampoules of salts (for the frequent and sudden faults, probably absolutely false, of the ladies of the nineteenth century), small notes with a pencil, a small purses, a magnifying glass, a small clock, a small knife, matches, in short, almost a bazaar depending on the needs.
All the individual pieces were finely decorated, often in silver according to social class.
The figure of the governess was of great responsibility. Although he was part of the servants, he was on a much higher step. It was she who had the keys to the house, the wardrobes, the pantry, she who ran the maids, she was in charge of all the management of the house which the lady gladly left.
The governesses were in the family almost for life, they were appreciated and considered almost an integral part, despite the limits of time. The male counterpart was the butler, who was mainly responsible for the landlord and table service, parties, and contact with guests. Instead, the housekeeper had contact with family members not with guests, she worked in the rear, in short, as a matter of course for a woman