VICTORIAN GLOVE STRETCHER - BONE ANTIQUE

About this Scissor-action Glove Stretcher:
Any Victorian lady of substance and elegance would wear a soft, close-fitting pair of kid gloves when out and about - hence the common expression that has survived until today - to "handle with kid gloves". "Kid" was baby goat skin.

The problem with these tightly-fitting kid gloves was that they were essentially made of delicate non-stretch material i.e. soft and vulnerable leather. So The lady's maid would put the stretchers inside each finger in turn, squeezed the bottom of the stretchers to open them out and thereby stretch each finger of each glove. This would make it easier for a grand lady to slip her gloves on and also avoid the soft leather being torn.

Glove Stretchers were not just the preserve of women and girls, in the late 19th and early 20th century, a well-dressed man's wardrobe would also include pairs of white or tan-coloured kid gloves. This scissor-opening action of this particular glove stretcher comes from the two arms pivoting on a small internal wheel of bone.

The most expensive and rare glove-stretchers were made of ivory. More commonly they were of bone and later on, cheap ivory-like glove-stretchers were made of Ivorine or other early plastics. This particular pair is definitely made of bone and is a good example of how bone memorabilia can be distinguised from ivory [basically tooth] or ivory-replica plastic. Antiques made of bone have small dark specks or streaks on the cut surface of the bone. This is because bone is riddles with tiny, nutrient-bearing canals called Haversian Canals which will be revealed in cross-section [dark dots] or longitudinal section [fine dark line] on the cut sufaces where the bone has been crafted to the desired shape. In this item you can also see the fine saw-cuts on the inner surface of the two arms.

Dimensions: 15cm long 5cm wide

A CONVERSATION PIECE!

Condition: this glove stretcher is a typical everyday, well-used example. It is in working order, however the strength of the spring and alignment of the jaws are not as positive as they would have been when first new.

PAYMENT and COLLECTION/DELIVERY
If preferred, the buyer can collect in person [location=Cambridgeshire, East Anglia] post-free and can even pay cash on collection. Or it can be delivered anywhere in the world by recorded posting.

Returns: can only be accepted for UK buyers and only then if the item is faulty or the description inaccurate. Item must be returned within 3 days of receipt, return postage at the buyer's expense.

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