Mid 18th Century hand woven infant mitts with lace
This marvellous pair of infant mittens hung in Hooton Pagnell Hall until the contents were sold and they are so fascinating. I can imagine the tiny, newborn 18th Century fingers they held so dearly. With an open end for the fingers bar the thumb, there is a back panel that is lined in such fine silk, a surprise given that the main parts are hand woven fine linen. One can peek inside to see that the silk was originally a bright peach, to match the lines of embroidery down the back hand. The Lace Mentor tells me that the main lace decoration is Italian, Milanese bobbin lace. It could have been worked by nuns or peasants. I am hoping to write a blog about the mitts because the research has been so interesting. Each mitten is just 4" long!
CONDITION
The mittens have been kept in a box frame for many years and have been very well preserved. As expalined in the description, the silk sections would have been vivid peach, almost all of which has faded, but can still be seen internally. The silk & lace are perfect. The rustic but very fine linen has needle hole markings throughout, just as in a pin cushion. I am frightened to think what these may be! Hopefully not pins stuck into the infant! Free of stains and perfectly strong.
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