Stockings
Date1834 - 1835
MediumCotton, ink
DimensionsOL cuff to toe 24 ¼ in.
Length of foot 7 1/2 in.
Credit LineGift of the Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA
Object number2024-339,1&2
DescriptionPair of white cotton lisle stockings with lace knit on ankle and instep. Marked at cuff in ink, “M. M. Hammond II”.Label TextAccording to donor history, these stockings belonged to Mary Mildred Hammond (1818/19-1835), a member of the Hammond family of Happy Retreat, a plantation in Charles Town, VA- now WV. The family was plagued by tragedy. Mary's father, Thomas, had married twice before, losing both wives in childbirth. In 1820, Mary's older brothers, John (b. 1815) and Thomas (b. 1816), died, followed by their father. Mary likely wore these stockings ca. 1834-1835, just before she died aged 16/17 in 1835. The stockings passed to her only surviving brother, George Washington Hammond, who named his eldest daughter after his beloved sister.
InscribedThere is a yellow fabric tag sewn into one sock, "31.37.10 Lisle stockings worn by Mary Mildred Hammond, 1834-34 Sullivan Collection".
Provenance1834-1835, worn by Mary Mildred Hammond [1818/19-1835] (Charles Town, WV); 1835, passed down by descent to George Washington Hammond [1808/9-1859] (Charles Town, WV); 1859, passed down by descent to Mary Mildred Hammond (Mrs. Algernon S. Sullivan) [1836-1933] and George H. Sullivan [1859-1956] (Richmond, VA); 1931, given to the Valentine Museum (Richmond, VA); 2023, given to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)
