Lace fingerless gauntlets, often referred to as “mitts,” were a popular and significant accessory in the 19th century, particularly during the Victorian era. More than just a simple piece of clothing, they were a powerful symbol of social status, modesty, and etiquette.
Fingerless gloves were fashionable in the mid-19th century for both day and evening wear, and their popularity waxed and waned throughout the century. One of the reasons for their appeal was their practicality. The open fingers allowed freedom of movement for tasks like turning book pages, writing, or needlework while maintaining the social expectation that hands and arms should be covered in polite society.
While full-fingered gloves were typically made of kid leather, fingerless mitts were often crafted from fine lace, silk, or cotton. They could be short, extending only to the wrist for daytime wear, or long, reaching to or above the elbow for formal evening occasions like balls or dinner parties.
The mid-19th century saw a significant shift in lacemaking. Prior to this, lace was an expensive, handcrafted luxury. The invention of lace-making machines in the mid-1800s made lace more widely available and affordable, allowing more people, including the working classes, to wear these stylish accessories. Working-class women, in particular, found fingerless gloves to be a relatively inexpensive way to accessorize and cover hands that were roughened by manual labor.
The term “gauntlet” typically refers to a glove with a flared cuff that extends up the forearm. In the context of 19th-century lace mitts, a “gauntlet” style would have featured a deep, often flowing, cuff of delicate lace. This style was particularly popular in the later part of the century, with some sources from the 1870s noting the popularity of “black lace mitts of the finest possible texture, made with deep flowing cuffs.”
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