The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-02-19

GLOVES.
How They Were Worn In Europe Centuries
Ago.

tury, and their manufacture would APP
pear a, that period specially German, as
five pairs of gloves made aconsiderable
part of the duty paid to the English
sovereign Ethclred ii. (979 TO 1870, by
a society of German merchants, for the
protection of their trade in this country,
a proof of their great rarity. Their
previous absence Is easily accounted for
by the fact that the long sleeves of the
gowns supplied their place by being
brought over the hand, and the cloak or
mantle was made 10 answer the same
purpose. 1t is remarkable that no
gloves are visible in the Bayeux tapes
try; not even on the hands OF Harold,
who carries hawk Wace, the Nor
man poet. tells a story of Raoul Tais-
son, Lord OF Cinguelis. playfully strik-
inc William of Normandy with his glove
previous to the battle of Vaesdeur, in
lOi7; and in 1905 the gloves of Conan,
Duke of Brittany, were poisoned, at the
in-tigatiOn. it was strongly suspected, of
the unscrupulous Duke William afore-
said; but il is certainly not before the
thirteenth century that gloves became
generally worn in England. AT the
latter part of that century the young
Normans covered their hands with
gloves too long and wide for doing any
thing needful. The eiligies of Henry
III. and Richard /. at Fonteraud display
gloves with Jewels on the back of them;
and when King Johns coffin was
opened in 1897, at Worcester, jeweled
gloves were found on his hands.
.Iewced gloves were also worn by the
dignitcd clergy, and appear 10 have
been of white silk or linen, and beauti-
fully embroidered. Those which were
worn BY William of Wykeham, and are
still preserved at New College, Oxford,
are OF red silk. with the sacred mono
gram, surrounded by 4 glory. in gold
ON the backs. AT what time it became
the custom 10 change the color Of the
gloves according to the color of the vest
ments is not known Gloves had come
into general use in the fourteenth
century amongst the better classes, who
were accustomed to carry them in their
hands Ii is not, however, till the
s.vicenth century that we find constant
allusions TO andfrequent representations
ot them in portraits. Gloves were GUS
tomary New-Year's gifts in the six
toenth century, but. being more eX-
pensive than all could afford to pur-
cl:pse. money was given instead, which
wa, called glove money.
The short sleeves Of the ladies
dresses in the reign of Charles ii. intro
duced the long kid glove, which has
now. after an interval, again become
fashionable. Gloves trimmed with lace
are mentioned ley Evelyn in his descrip-
ton of lady's toilette, and a con-
temporary poet mentions:
some OF chicken-skns for night,
10 keep her hands plump, soft and white"
Long gloves are seen in the portrait of
Mary. consort of William H., and n
pair of thread gloves occurs in the in
ventory of lady's wardrobe in 1907.
Many ancient receipts are eXtant for
the perfuming of gloves, and in ala old
French work published mt Lyons in 1857
the. precise directions for . CiCette tres
cyqaiSe pour Partuner gG1adS 81 ca Ui5a-
IRE les mains is given. In these COM
positions musk, ambergris and civet
were the chief perfumes, and rs they
were applied inside the gloves, combined
with some sort of oil or grease their use
at the present day would be thought in
tolerable. In the middle OF the last
century the glovers OF Paris were also
the chief perfumers, and constituted q
considerable community, having stat
utes and laws dating back as far as
1890. Perfumed skins were imported
from Spain and Italy for the making of
gloves, and were very expensive and
:. fort n ia mode but their powerful
odOr led TO their disuse, and Frangipani
and Neroli became the only perfumes in
fashion for gloves. And we NAV here
remark that Frangipani owes its re-
nown TO its inventor. a Marquis Frangi-
PAM. member OF very ancient and
iilustrious family of Rome, and who
was "a Marshal in the armies of Louis
XIII. What the composition was that
gained for the Marquis so much reputa-
ton is not now known, but all sorts of
utterly different perfumes are TO this day
sold under that name.
Gloves were frequently held out in
prominent places in ancient times at
fairs. in token of friendship to all
corners. In the city of Chester. espe-
cially that being a place famous for the
manufacture of gloves. il was the Gus
tom for some days before and during
the continuance of the fair To bring out
from the Town-hall their local emblem of
commerce. Il glove. there By proclaimine
that non-freemen and strangers were
permitted TO trade within the city. "a
privilege at all other times enjoyed by
the citizens alone.
A pretty little incident connected with
gloves in ancient times is the circum-
stance that Charles ~. King of Spain.
was 30 much under the influence of any
lady who wore white Kid gloves that
Tie Use Of them at court was strictly pro-
hibited. Modern royalty is not so fan
fastical.
~ the time of Louis XIV of France
the ladies az their toilette thought moth
ing of destroying half Il dozen pairs Of
gloves before they got one pair to fit
They were made of white skins, but or
namented with little ribbons and fine
rosettes. English-sewn gloves were in
the greatest request, and it used 10 be "a
common saying that for glove to be
good three kingdoms must contribute TO
it-Spain for the leather. France for the
cutting. and England for the sewing
Haypcr'S Bdzdr.