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Question: What were the chains worn by early 20th century men!?
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!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
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

Usually a button hole on a vestWww@QuestionHome@Com