Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-07
Gossip About Gloves.
From the Pan Mall Gazette.

FROM the Pau Mall Gazette.
At first gloves were usually made OF linen.
afterwards of silk. Gloves FOR ordinary wear
when the practical British mind discovered that
tney would De an acquisition 10 our every day
garb-were made OF tanned leather: such were
the gloves OF Henry vi, which. though mdoubt-
cay useful, were far from ornamental. Men
ana boys wore gloves long before women
adopted them. and the same eNtrayacanc. i'm
gloves which is noted among fashionable ladies'
to-day was practised 10y the candles ofthr six
teenth century. pair OF Queen Fltzsheth's
gloves have been preserved. which. though .of
very .h nne white leather. worked with
eur fashionable beauties would stand
aghast. Good Queen Bess. however
had hand that was nj to WELD scepter Tie
thumb of her glove was inches long and the
palm measured So inches across Another
royal glove has been preserved in Henry Wits
hawkes. glove. in which. il the original bears
any likeness Ia the Illustration. a goodly num-
Der OF hawkes." could iad a comfortable rest
ing place. A. hawking. when by our forrfathers
reduced to a science. had its own peculiar y0-
cabulary. il had also IFS own gloves: sometimes
rs those OF King lIenry. large and clumSly
made. but mostly richly embroidered edged and
hned. with heavy tassels Ia correspond. Per-
maps the reason why some OF these hawking
gloves are really artiStiCally worked il that
ladies likewise took part in the sport of hawk
ing. Archery was another pastme In which
they We're proficient. and many oil. for shoot
Ing gloves Tor my mistress occurs in the ac-
counts of the stewards of those times
OF more interest TO the gloyr-w carers Of TO-
day IL his account of the gloves OF famous
queens. Queen Elizabeth's gloves were of fine
white leather worked with gold thread and lined
In the cuts with drab silk. Mary QGcen OF scots
gloves cost lbs. without ornaments, the latter
costing ris more. one of them which is still
preserved, was of light buff leather with a
gauntlet embroidered with silver wire and yari-
Gus colored silk, and lined with crimson satin.
The deliberately embroidered gloves Of the siN-
teenth century We're adorned with flowers
worked in silk with such exquisite fidelity AZ To
render them veritahle needle painting
How long gloves have been in common use
Is difficult To ascertain but We know that on
the continent they We're worn at tie time OF
Charemagne. when in England 1--WE went on
In henighted Ignorance, careless of culture. des-
ttute of gloves. SaNons succeeded Rrituns the
Danes came and Went, and the Normans came
and did not go. before gloves had recognized
place in our national costume" From that time
forth they have maintained their place and i'm
the sixteenth century we find gloves of leather
and silk. the latter often kuitted Resides de-
scriblng their history, the author OF Gloves
acquants us with their symbocal meaning
Gloves have been signs of faith security PROM
Uses; they entered into transactions Of tenure
and formed part of medieval rent. But as they
were token Of hostility. they We're also often q
peace-Ofering or a gift on any special occasion,
such As New Years and Easter Day, at betroth-
ais. weddings and funerals: they were wcrn AZ
fayors 10y chivalrous lovers. and after going
through all these stages are now a common ne
cesSity, worn among 'all sorts and conditions Of
men"