Gloves

Object NameGloves

MediumKid (goat) white leather

Dimensions11 1/8 in. (28.3 cm)

ClassificationsTextiles and Apparel

Credit LineGift of Clara Kasischke. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number77.7.32ab

Status

On view

Collections

Textiles and Jewelry

Label TextGloves were a characteristically Victorian accessory. People were expected to possess a wide variety of gloves for their different daily tasks. Similar to fashion accessories commonly worn today, different fabric types and styles of gloves were associated with specific times of the day or year. For a wealthy wearer, gloves were considered expendable and would be replaced frequently. Poorer people, however, could have their gloves repaired when their gloves inevitably fell apart. Glove wearing reached its peak near the year 1900; however, the depletion of materials caused by the onset of the First World War led to a skyrocketing of prices and the decline of the industry. World War II dealt the final blow to the trendy accessory with the heavy rationing of fabric and a rise in sensible dress as a fashion trend. Albano, Dr. Marie. “Victorian Women Wearing Gloves.” Bay Village Historical Society, n.d. Blakemore, Erin. “What Gloves Meant to the Victorians.” JSTOR Daily, February 24, 2018.

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