The three glove styles placed next to a 2p coin, to show you just how minuscule they are!
It’s likely that the purpose of these tiny gloves was to demonstrate a glove maker’s skill set at a much smaller scale – a traditional training method that was often used in the past. So grab your magnifying glass, and take a closer look at some of the tiniest exhibits we have…
Exhibit A – Knitted Gloves
The doll-sized knitted gloves are almost unnoticeable compared to our standard sized Cable Knit Gloves with Fur Cuffs…
- Measurements: 15mm wide, 25mm long
- Materials: Cotton
- Features: Fine knit
- Estimated Time of Creation: Late 20th century
These feminine beige hand-knitted gloves could be considered to be one of the smallest pairs of knitted gloves around. Impressively, both gloves can be held on one finger – imagine how fine the thread and tools must have been!
Exhibit B – Fur Cuff Gloves
It looks like fur cuffs were also in style when these ‘mini me’ gloves were created… (gloves compared to our ‘Glamis‘ style)
- Measurements: 40mm wide, 64mm long
- Materials: Fawn leather, satin lining
- Features: Whipstitch seams and 3 whipstitch points on the back, all hand-sewn using a contrasting blue thread. Miniature fourchettes and diamond quirks at the fingers, much like many of our normal heritage gloves. Also features a fur-trimmed vent at the cuff.
- Estimated Time of Creation: Mid 19th century
So much detail has gone into these, it’s hard to believe they are approximately 1/10 the size of standard women’s gloves! The whip-stitching must have required an eagle’s eye to create, but instead the glove was crafted by an employee of Fownes, Worchester, who was at the company for an incredible 73 years!
