Mitts
Date1800-1820
MediumLinen
Dimensions2024-341,1 OL 11 1/8 in; W at top of arm 3 1/2 in.
2024-341,2 OL 11 1/2 in.; W at top of arm 3 1/2 in.
Credit LineGift of the Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA
Object number2024-341,1&2
DescriptionFingerless mitts made of linen, possibly child sized. Mitts have a flat hem at the forearm and a curved hem at the fingers. Mitts have an opening for fingers and thumb. Fabric is stiffened and may have been starched.2, Mitt has a seam sewn two inches from the hem.
Label TextMitts were a type of fingerless glove commonly worn in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They were worn by women and girls for both functional and fashionable purposes. Mitts could be plain and made of simple fabric- like this pair- or decorated and embroidered. Based on the size, this pair of linen mitts was probably worn by a young girl.
ProvenancePrior to 1946, James Pleasants Massie and Ida Watkins Massie [Mrs. C. Braxton Valentine] (Richmond, VA); 1946 given to the Valentine Museum (Richmond, VA); 2023-present given to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)
