The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-04-25
a FEW LINES
ABOUT GLOVES
Fancies of Women of Ancient
and Modern Periods.
Heavy GnuntIets Of Good Old oueep
Bcss-sien's Apparel Only When
First Used I'm England.

A pleasant faced woman sat at tn.
glove counter in one of the leading store:
a few days age leisureIy drawing off hei
gloves. preparatory to having a pair fit.
ted and tried on. She laid a beautiful
hand upon the Velvet-covered cushion
when the saleswoman said: please close
your hand madam She did so, and
looked up smiiingly as she said
Il fancy l know what you are thinking
about
The girl gave a bright, answering glance
and replied:
Eyes. there lis difference in the way
people close the hand: many do 1t your
way, with the thumb outside. but when
we have a customer who closes her hand
with the thumb inside between the fin
gers and the palm, we know what to ex-
pect. She will almost invariably be OBJ
stinate and hard to please. and the tight
er she closes her hand the more pro-
nounced are these characteristics 1t Is
difficult to make a satisfactory sale of a
pair of gloves to surh a woman"
As the girl was talking she deftly
measured the fingers. and had the wom-
an place her elbow firmly in the hollow
center of the covered block. In a short
time the fair, white hand was covered
TO perfection, and the saleswoman, sub
timely ignoring the glove-buttoners near
by, took a hairpin from her hair, began
at the last button, and, working up to
the first one. closed the glove snugly and
looked admiringly at the well-gloved hand
before her. The gloves in the boxe,
showed fresh and dainty i'm their unworn
smoothness, and seemed the most mod
ern of all wearing apparel, and. indeed
it is hard to realize what a wonderful
history belongs 20 so small an article.
Among the remains which recent re-
search has brought to light in France
and Switzerland there was found abund-
ant evidence to show that gloves were
worn by the cave-dwellers in prehistoric
times. More than this, they reached
even TO the elbows. after the fashion OF
evening gloves. If any comparison may be
allowed between the ones made doubtless
from rOughly-dressed skins and sewed
with bone needles and the delicate kid
gloves of today.
Gloves were certainly well known 10
the Romans, and were denounced by a
fury. History tells us that they were
used in the church and on the bench. ana
In the reign of Henry l ali the high
church dignitaries both wore and were
buried in them. An engraving of the
coronation procession of 1850 shows one
OF the judges wearing a pair richly
fringed about the cuffs
Gloves have been sung in song and cell
ebrated in story, and have been used as
pledges OF faith and symbols of trust,
as cages of battle and favOrs Of love.
They have been sent as messengers OF
good will and have been offered as gifts
on memorable anniversaries. They have
have had a conspicuous place at we'd
dings and at funerals and have figured
at royal pageants and rural huskings-
AT the time of their INTRODUCTION in
England they were worn by men only.
and women did not venture TO wear them
until after their use had become general
among the other sex. Some historic
gloves associated with royalty are still
preserved in private collections and in
museums. a pair once worn by Queen
Elizabeth give one the idea that her mai
esty's hands must have been Of unusual
size. or that gloves were worn comforta-
bly, loose. NOT TO say "baggy." in those
days. The dimensions Of the gloves are
almost appalling, the middle finger be-
ing four and Jhree-quarter inches in
length. the thu'-b five inches and the
palm three and uuc-half inches in width.
The glove g. nearly half a yard long. the
gold fringe at the bottom taking two
inches from the total length. The ma
terial used was a fine white leather,
worked with gold thread. edged at the
bottom with yellow and lined in the cuff
with drab.
No description of gloves worn by roy
atty can be satisfying that omits the
pair given by Mary Queen Of Scots. on
the morning of her execution. February
5, 1857. 10 a gentleman Of the Dayrell
family. who was in attendance upon her
at Fotheringay Castle. These. too are of
generous proportions. and are described
as being made ''of a light, cool buff-col-
Ored leather, the elaborate embroidery of
the gauntlet being worked with silver
wire and of silk of various ColOrs. The
roses are of pale and of dark blue. and
two shades of very pale crimson; the TO-
liage represents trees. and is worked in
green. A bird in flight. with a long tail.
figures Conspicuously among the work.
E That part of the glove which
forms the gauntlet is lined with crimson
SATIN a narrow band being turned out
ward as a binding to the gauntlet. on
to which is sewed the gold fringe or lace,
on which are fastened groups of small
pendant steel or silver spangIes The
opening al the side of the gauntlet is con-
nected by two broad bands of crimson
silk, faded now almost TO a pale pink
color and each band is decorated with
pieces of furnished silver lace on each
side