Dating a pair of black (silk?) crocheted gloves.

[Daphne]

Hello!
I'm wondering if anyone knowledgable about gloves might be able to help me date this pair.

The dealer sold them to me as Victorian silk crochet. The fabric does feel like silk to the touch.

Many thanks in advance for your help!

 

[retro ruth]

Crochet gloves were common in the 40s and 50s, and that's what these strike me as. There are lots of patterns for making them at home and I believe they were sold in department stores too.

They could be silk but they could also be rayon, it may be difficult to tell without a burn test, and there probably isn't a loose thread you could cut to do the test.

I suppose it's possible they are older, especially if they are silk, it can be very difficult to date hand made things.

Here's an example pattern. There are many many similar patterns from the 40s and 50s.

 

[anothertimevintageapparel]

I agree these are from the late 40s 50s. A Victorian revival.

Here is a pair that I had.

 

[Daphne]

Thank you both for your insight!
I bought another pair from the same dealer which I more easily identified as 40s/50s, in starfish orange, of a coarser and sturdier material. Would that indicate rayon or were they sometimes made of cotton too?

 

[retro ruth]

were they sometimes made of cotton too

Yes, cotton is a very common material for crochet lace in general, so gloves too.

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

While they were revived and home made in the 40s and 50s, this pair strikes me as newer, more like mass produced ones from China or some other Asian country. I recall these being sold in the 80s in trendy shops at the mall (I bought them in orange and pink if I recall), and the 90s and even still today. Some costume shops still sell these these in many colors. Not sure, just the look of them is more simple than most home made ones.

I am not 100% sure, they could be older, just my hunch.

 

[retro ruth]

As far as I can see these look like true crochet, which can't be machine made.

https://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-crochet-machine/

ETA crochet does get mass produced, but only by paying people a pittance to do the work by hand. Generally though, crochet-like mass produced items are actually a form of machine lace, rather than true crochet.

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

I did not mean to infer that mass produced means machine made. It does not. Gosh, I recall a TON of hand crochet stuff coming out of China and Asia in the 80s and 90s. Table linens were everywhere and often sold as "vintage" hand crochet on Ebay and other sites, and a wide variety of clothing too. Dresses, 2 piece skirt and top sets, bathing suits, accessories, etc. And yes, those poor people were paid a pittance and they stood in line to get that job too.

 

[retro ruth]

I did not mean to infer that mass produced means machine made. It does not. Gosh, I recall a TON of hand crochet stuff coming out of China and Asia in the 80s and 90s.

Yes exactly. And perhaps you are right about these gloves, though to me they are alright for mid century, but it's very hard to know.

It's shocking to realise that whenever you see mass produced genuine crochet, at an affordable price point, you pretty much know someone is being exploited.

I think not everyone realises, that crochet can't be machine made. Unlike knitting, which obviously can.

I have a crochet granny square long cardigan I bought in the 90s, from a chain store. I love it, but now I realise that someone was probably paid pennies to make it.

 

[Midge]

That is so well said, Ruth! I had a granny square crochet dress, late 90s or early 00s - same thing there. It was rather expensive for me then, but looking back it was definitely from a fast fashion shop - just not as ultra-cheap as they are today and. I don't have it anymore, but I guess it was made just the way you describe it.