Artifact: Cream Silk Mitts
Materials: Silk; leather lining; silk needlework
Dimensions: OL: 13 3/4"; OW: 4 3/4"
Date: 1760-1780
Origin: England
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Women's Mitts
Department: Outerwear
Customer: Mrs. Sarah Wigginton
Ledger Page: 272
Imported From:
Product Description
Mitts are similar in form to gloves, but with open fingers and thumbs. This allowed women to cover their hands and arms while leaving greater dexterity for sewing or other domestic labor. Depending on the weight of the fabric they could be used for warmth from the cold, or protection from the sun.
Citation: Linda Baumgarten. What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America (New Haven: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in association with Yale University Press, 2002), 117.; Colonial Williamsburg. “A Colonial Lady's Clothing: A Glossary of Terms.” Accessed February 26, 2017. https://www.history.org/history/clothing/women/wglossary.cfm
Historical Price: 14 pence per pair; Modern USD: $13.1
Product Variations
The databases record ten purchases of mitts. These were primarily purchased both by and for women. The prices range from one and a quarter pence to eighteen pence. Their qualifiers include fine, glazed, and coloured.
