(Emilie Lambert, collection manager, TRC) The TRC houses over 300 pairs of gloves, mittens and gauntlets. They are made of leather, wool or silk, in lace or with net work. They may be knitted, and be practical or purely decorative. The sheer variety, both technically and culturally, is fascinating (Fig. 1). Some of the gloves are highlighted in previous blogs, such as one about Scottish examples, written by Hanke van Prooije in 2025.
Fig 1: Assortment of gloves in the TRC collection showing the wide variety in materials, shape, and decoration used.
However, all the items in the collection, which originate from just about everywhere, from Romania to Australia and Congo, are later than the early twentieth century. Curious about the history of gloves, I browsed the TRC library and quickly found a book (2015b) by Annemarieke Willemsen [current curator of medieval collections at the RMO in Leiden] on medieval gloves, mittens and gauntlets, through which I discovered many intriguing avenues for discussion.
Gloves, mittens & gauntlets (Fig. 2)
It seems that mittens (Dutch: want), whereby all the fingers are enclosed in a single pocket but with a separate thumb, may have preceded the glove with its individual fingers (Dutch: handschoen), perhaps because its construction is simpler. However, both forms have been consistently worn throughout the last few centuries. There were also split mittens, whereby the third and fourth fingers are separated. These were commonly worn in the medieval period by shepherds, who needed slightly greater mobility for their fingers (Willemsen 2015a, p. 19).
The distinction between a glove and another type of handwear, the gauntlet, is primarily one of function. A gauntlet is a type of glove made from heavy or protective material, such as metal or thick, padded leather, with the aim of protecting the hands from injury. While gauntlets are often associated with metal armour used in combat, the term can also extend to heavy-duty gloves used in metalworking, motorcycling or animal handling. In other words, every gauntlet is a glove, but not every glove is a gauntlet.
Protection from the cold is one of the most familiar functions of gloves and mittens. Knitted, needlework, woollen, and cloth examples were often intended to provide warmth, sometimes with additional fur lining. Gloves have also been used as protective equipment in various sports and occupations, comparable to gauntlets. Medical sources even adsvise the use of gloves made from fish or chicken skin to protect infected or damaged skin during the night (Willemsen 2015a, p. 13).
Not all gloves, however, were primarily practical or protective. Delicate gloves, as said, could function as fashionable accessories and status symbols, as seen in intricate lace or embroidered examples. Gloves could also be very symbolic, such as those of a monarch or priest.
Fig 2: Left to right: a pair of gloves (TRC 2025.0641a-b), mittens (TRC 2007.0762a-b), and gauntlets (TRC 2025.0905a-b)
Early history
Hand coverings were used for many centuries, probably going back to prehistory. They would have been woven with plant fibres or sewn from leather. Gloves are frequently mentioned in Classical Antiquity, but hard evidence of their use before then is scarce, particularly as they were made of degradable materials.
Many sources note the earliest archaeological example of a surviving glove comes from the tomb of Tutankhamun. He would have worn these ceremonial linen gloves sometime before his death in 1323 BC (Redwood, p. 7). This draws an interesting link to the TRC as our director, Dr Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, extensively studied the Tutankhamun textile finds (1999).
Willemsen’s book also goes into detail about archaeological finds in The Netherlands. The oldest example - a thumbless woollen and knitted mitten from Dorestad (near Nijmegen) dates to 800 AD (Fig. 3). Thanks to the Dutch wetlands, many more woollen and leather gloves were preserved through the centuries, many being found in Amsterdam and Dordrecht.
Fig. 3: The oldest glove found in the Netherlands, dating to ca. AD 800 (Willemsen 2015a, p. 5).
Various fashions
Gloves were conveyors of fashion and status. It would be wrong not to mention the elaborately decorated gloves in prestigious, 17th-century royal fashion with densely embroidered cuffs, made with silver, gold, and coloured thread. Such gloves would have cost a small fortune.
One style that really stood out to me was that of artificial finger-lengthening. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, in late 16th-century Britain, it was fashionable to elongate a glove’s fingertips for a centimetre past the reach of each finger to create the illusion of longer, slimmer fingers (Fig. 4; Willemsen 2015a, p. 14).
Fig. 4: Elongated fingertips on 17th-century glove (Willemsen, p.15).
Production
Leather mittens and gloves were made to fit the individual. They were usually constructed by cutting a ‘double glove’ – two handprints conjoined to avoid the need of sewing one seam. Then a separate thumb was added (Fig. 5). Sheep and goat skins were common. Deerskin was used by the wealthy (Willemsen 2015a, p.12).
Gloves were for a long while produced in small workshops, specialised only in glove making, or in combination with other fine leatherwork. Production then moved into large factories, although throughout the 19th century the stitching of gloves was outsourced to women (gloveresses) and children who worked from home to gain extra income. The sewing machine drastically changed the industry, and most glove production nowadays is completely carried out in factories. They are also made in only a few sizes, and it is now difficult to find someone to make personalized gloves.
Most gloves were everyday items and they would get worn, so it is not uncommon for them to be patched and repaired repeatedly. To counteract this, Icelandic fishermen would make a mitten with two thumbs - so one wears them on both hands or back-to-front (Fig. 5).
Fig. 5: Glove sewing pattern showing the double-hand construction with separate thumb piece (https://www.18thcenturynotebook.com/mens-leather-gloves)
Symbolism
There is also a whole world of symbolism when it comes to gloves, and this aspect differs greatly throughout cultures and time. Some general themes are still familiar to us and some are completely obscure. In many circumstances the gloves provide a physical and symbolic barrier between an individual and the action they take - think of a judge, or executioner (Willemsen 2015a, p. 30). In religion too, liturgical gloves indicate the sacred power in the hands rather than those of the preacher (Willemsen 2015, p. 32). In courting, one removes gloves and presents a bare hand to kiss in greeting, and keeping gloves on would be seen as a sign of hostility. Additionally,“a woman dropping her glove could be understood as a woman offering her body” (Willemsen 2015, p.15). In combat too, throwing the gauntlet would mean picking a fight. The variation here really shows how aspects of dress have many cultural effects.
Conclusion
I thoroughly enjoyed this exploration of gloves and their history. And as I was talking about it, I was enthusiastically handed a handful of newly donated gloves to add to the catalogue!
Sources
- Redwood, Mike (2016), Gloves and Glove-making. London, Bloomsbury.
- Vogelsang-Eastwood, Gillian (1999). Tutankhamun's Wardrobe. Garments from the Tomb of Tutankhamun. Rotterdam: Barjesteh van Waalwijk van Doorn
- Willemsen, Annemarieke (2015a), 'The Geoff Egan Memorial Lecture 2013. Taking up the glove: finds, uses and meanings of gloves, mittens and gauntlets in western Europe, c. AD 1300–1700,' Post-Medieval Archaeology, 49:1, 1-36.
- Willemsen, Annemarieke (2015b), Van Hand tot Hand. Handschoenen en Wanten in de Nederlanden vóór 1700. Leiden: National Museum of Antiquities.
Producing sarongs on the island of Buton. Photograph courtesy Minsook Kang.
