Hat badge, France, England, 1841-1848
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1841-1848
Hat badge in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number M.16-2009), made in France, England, dated 1841-1848, attributed to Faucherre, Jean Julien. The museum's brief description reads: Engraved copper gilt, France or England, 1841-48, by Jean Julien Faucherre.
Museum description: Hat badge, engraved copper gilt, cut out in the form of a soldier standing on a leafy mound in front of a brick turret with a rifle over his shoulder. Curved lower edge engraved: "CHASSEUR D'ORLEANS" and "J. Faucherre sc". Engraved at the back - in less detail - and with two attachment clips so that the badge can be sewn on to the hat. The museum records it as Copper-gilt, engraved, measuring Length 4.6 cm; Width 4.4 cm; Depth 0.1 cm.
These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This engraved badge design may have been a prototype for the insignia on hats worn by soldiers of the French regiment known as the Chasseurs D' Orleans (1842-1848). The regiment was named in commemoration of Prince Ferdinand-Philippe of Orléans who died in July 1842. When the Royal Family were exiled from France in 1848 the regiment was renamed "chasseurs à pied". It is one of a group of objects from the workshop of the Swiss engraver, Jean Julien Faucherre ( 1805-1891). He was born and trained in Switzerland but worked in France from about 1830 to 1841 when he settled in London. In 1857, he was described as a master watch engraver but the surviving material, although including watch dials, demonstrates wider involvement in the silversmithing trade from electrotyped dressing table boxes to engraved panels for carriage clocks. It is very rare to find so much documented material from one of the smaller workshops in the trade. His work would have been largely anonymous and sold under the name of larger silversmiths or retailers of the Victorian period.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- copper-gilt
- Dimensions
- Length 4.6 cm; Width 4.4 cm; Depth 0.1 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Copper-gilt, engraved
- Maker recorded
- Faucherre, Jean Julien
- Place recorded
- France, England
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- 'CHASSEUR D'ORLEANS'; 'J Faucherre sc'
Identification
- Museum object name
- Hat badge
- Museum object number
- M.16-2009
- Museum system number
- O228041
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.