Ivory Glove Stretchers

Accessories

Ivory Glove Stretchers

ca. 1870 - 1900

Length: 7 1/2 inches (19 cm)

Gloves were a social necessity in the Victorian Era. At this time, having feet and hands that appeared small was considered fashionable, so gloves worn at this time were very tight-fitting. People owned numerous pairs to keep up with the various styles worn for different times of day and activities. Gloves were such a significant part of a respectable wardrobe that glove stretchers, to ease wearing and cleaning, would have been an important tool for the Victorian individual.

These stretchers feature a spring in the center, allowing the two handles to separate the prongs when compressed, expanding each finger space. Gloves were typically made of leather, called kid. Stretchers would also be used to give the glove's fingers shape after being washed. Gloves were worn daily by both men and women during the Nineteenth Century, so a person of any background would likely own glove stretchers.

Today gloves are made from knit materials that stretch easily over a variety of hand sizes and shapes. Technology has made the glove stretcher obsolete.

These glove stretchers perhaps belonged to the donor's mother, Hannah Dobbins Rogers, who was born in 1860. She passed away in 1957, the year in which they were donated to the Historic Textile and Costume Collection.

Donor: Roger Elwell Trainer

URI 1956.42.33

Christina Adamo
Susan J. Jerome