THE  SOCIAL  HISTORY  OF  FLATBUSH


by Gertrude Lefferts Vanderbilt

1887


GLOVES


   Gloves are an expensive and necessary part of the lady's equipment, but 
they have not, from the nature of things, been subjected to the same changes 
as have other articles of dress, except as to improvement in color and quality.

    The buttoned gloves worn in full dress were not so common a few years ago 
as they are now.

    When children and young misses all wore short sleeves, there were long 
kid gloves which could be drawn up above the elbow; for school-children these 
long gloves were made of "nankeen."

[nankeen: a firm, durable, yellow or buff fabric, originally made from a 
natural-colored Chinese cotton.]  For weddings and parties, long kid gloves 
reached half way to the elbow, and were trimmed with lace, swan's-down, or 
quilled satin ribbon; when they were not worn so long, then buttoned gloves 
came in fashion.

    Silk gloves and mitts were in more general use formerly than they are at 
present. As long ago as in the past century they were worn of colors selected 
to match the rest of the dress.

    We copy the following advertisement from a newspaper published in 1773:
    women's  silk and worsted gloves and mitts

    women's   white and purple kid gloves and mitts
    women's   purple  gloves and mitts
    women's   crimson gloves and mitts
    women's   blue  gloves and mitts
    women's   black gloves and mitts
    women's   white gloves and mitts
    women's   cloth-coloured gloves and mitts

    This last-named color is as much a puzzle to us as some of the fancy 
names which are now given to various colors may be to those of the next generation.


NEXT....FLATBUSH SOCIAL..WORKBAGS

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