Pair of Stockings thumbnail 1
Pair of Stockings thumbnail 2
+22
images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 56, The Djanogly Gallery

Pair of Stockings

1590-1630 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Linen boot hose were essential accessories for protecting men’s fashionable knitted silk stocking from the rough edges inside their leather boots. This pair were cut on the bias (across the grain of the weave) to fit the leg snugly. The seams are edged with a simple, detached chain stitch and each stocking fastens with a braided silk lace and aiglet., threaded through eyelets. The soles of boot hose wore out quickly and would have been regularly replaced, as seen in this example.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Stocking
  • Stocking
Materials and techniques
Linen, silk; hand-woven, hand-embroidered, hand-sewn
Brief description
Man's stockings or boot hose, 1590-1630, English; linen embroidered with green silk thread
Physical description
Pair of man’s stockings or boot hose of bleached woven linen, pieced and cut with a centre-back seam, a clock on the outside and bound opening on the inside of the leg. The seams are edged with half-back and spaced chain stitches along the seams. There are 14 worked eyelets on each side of each leg opening, fastened with a finger-looped lace of dark green silk, knotted inside the stocking at one end, with a metal aiguillette at the other.

The stockings have been later re-soled with a lighter, finer linen.
Dimensions
  • T.126 a 1938, hem to heel length: 97.0cm (approx)
  • Foot length: 25.4cm
  • Top width: 28cm
Dimensions checked: Measured; 13/09/2000 by KB see diagram
Object history
Made in England
Summary
Linen boot hose were essential accessories for protecting men’s fashionable knitted silk stocking from the rough edges inside their leather boots. This pair were cut on the bias (across the grain of the weave) to fit the leg snugly. The seams are edged with a simple, detached chain stitch and each stocking fastens with a braided silk lace and aiglet., threaded through eyelets. The soles of boot hose wore out quickly and would have been regularly replaced, as seen in this example.
Bibliographic reference
Susan North, ‘Embroidered linen stocking’, in 17th-Century Men’s Dress Patterns, 1600-1630, by Melanie Braun et al. Thames & Hudson and V&A Museum, 2016, pp.170-5.
Collection
Accession number
T.126&A-1938

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMarch 27, 2003
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest