This cut-steel chatelaine, made in France around 1800 and now at the V&A, hangs on a decorative clasp — a cluster of chains and tools swaying at the hip, each steel rivet hand-faceted to catch light like a diamond. The word châtelaine translates roughly to “lady of the castle,” and the name stuck because the original version was a key ring: whoever held it controlled every lock in the house. By the 19th century, the keys had been swapped for personal tools, but the implication remained. This is for the woman who runs things.

From its chains hang scissors, a scent flask, a magnifying glass, a thimble, a notebook, and a needle case — every small task of domestic life given its own chain. We can almost think of these items like apps, and the chatelaine a primitive smart phone: keep everything you need within reach at all times. The difference is the chatelaine didn’t hide these things in a pocket. Instead, utility lived on full display.