In the 19th century gloves were an indispensible accessory for women. They were worn for day and evening wear. Wealthy women owned many pairs suited to different occasions and carefully chosen to match particular outfits. Strict rules applied to the wearing of gloves. A woman would be considered undressed if she left the house ungloved and it was customary, for instance, to keep gloves on in church, at the theatre and at balls but to remove them before dining.
A slim, elegant hand was considered a sign of good breeding and in the second half of the 19th century women's gloves became closer fitting. The high quality green kid glove seen in this image has a small gilt metal shell-shaped fastening on the inside of the wrist which can be attached to one of two fixings to ensure a close, smooth line. The length of the points which decorate the back of the hand and which extend almost to the finger stitching also make the hand appear more slender. The glove is machine sewn with green silk. It is finished with a narrow band of contrasting white kid applied to the wrist edge as a binding.Machine-sewn green kid leather woman's gloveWoman's green kid leather dress glove, cut with a 'French thumb', a thumb quirk and fourchettes to the fingers. The seams are oversewn with green silk. The back of the hand is decorated with points machine-sewn in green silk. The glove is finished with a narrow band of contrasting white kid applied to the wrist edge as binding. There is a small gilt-metal shell-shaped fastening on the inside of the wrist with two fixings for the fastening to hook onto.