Many photos of men's attire from the early 20th century show them wearing one or two chains from their waistcoats!. (See this example of Sir Winston Churchill:
http://hodja!.files!.wordpress!.com/2007/08!.!.!. )
I always understood the chain to be of a pocket watch!. What was the other chain connected to!?
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They were attached to a pocket watch and were called alberts, after Queen Victoria's husband!. Usually the watch was in one pocket of the waistcoat and the chain was hooked to a butonhole on the opposite side!. Often there was a medallion or badge hanging from the middle!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Think about Bill Sykes' boys in the Dickens novel Oliver Twist, and you'll soon understand the need for pocket chains ("You gotta pick a pocket or two!")!. They have a little bar at the end to attach to a buttonhole, - a design that recently made a comeback on mass market jewellery!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
The fob was a chain attached to the waistcoat to enable the wearer to quickly find a watch!. But it could be used for other purposes, a luck charm or a key, for instance!.Www@QuestionHome@Com