Images(2)

Pair of Stockings

Period1797

Place MadeFreehold, New Jersey, U.S.A.

MediumCotton

Dimensions21 × 7 in. (53.3 × 17.8 cm)

ClassificationsCostume, Women's

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Warren H. Conover, 1931

Object number96

DescriptionA pair of women's off white cotton knitted stockings, constructed with shaped calves, a zig zag decorative band along the top edge of the stockings, and the inscription "Eleanor / Conover / 1797" knitted directly into the tops of both stockings. Both stockings have extensive darned areas on heels and toes.
Curatorial RemarksStockings were a basic of every Colonial woman's wardrobe. Many women made their own, and even children - both boys and girls - were taught to knit stockings for themselves and other family members. Fifteen-year-old Eleanor Conover produced a pair of relatively sophisticated stockings, including shaped calves and a decorative zigzag border along the top edges. Eleanor also included her name and date of completion as an integral part of the knitting pattern. She appears to have worn these stockings for many years, as there are numerous darned areas in the toes, heels, and soles of the stockings.NotesFreehold resident Eleanor Conover made these knitted stockings at the age of fifteen. Born in 1782, Eleanor was the daughter of William and Eleanor Forman Conover. Eleanor married David Craig on November 12, 1804. She died on August 27, 1855, at the age of 73 and was interred at Old Tennent Church burial ground.

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