Description:
Pair of white kid gloves, each with a picture of George Washington (1732-1799) and the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) inside an oval wreath with the inscription "IMPERISHABLE THEIR FAME" printed on the front. Numerous items of clothing, ceramics, and decorative arts were decorated to mark the occasion of the Lafayette’s return to America in 1824. The quote, coupled with Washington’s pendant portrait alongside that of Lafayette, is a reference to the everlasting glory that the two men achieved in the eyes of many while leading the new nation to independence. These gloves came to the Darien Historical Society as a gift from Sally (Sarah) Hayward Draper, formerly of Darien and then Stonington, CT. They reportedly belonged to Dr. Nathan Hayward (1763-1848), a graduate of Harvard (1785) who established the first stage line between Plymouth and Boston with his brother-in-law, Dr. James Thatcher, in 1796, and was High Sheriff of Plymouth County from 1813-1845. According to a 1982 note from the curator of the Darien Historical Society: "...held to have been worn by him [Hayward] at a Ball in Boston given on the occasion of Layettte's 3rd Visit (1784)." In 1784, Lafayette visited all of the states except Georgia. However, the date of 1784 is an error since the gloves have been dated to 1824-1825. From July 1824 to September 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette, made a famous tour of the 24 states in the United States including Boston on September 2, 1824. As High Sheriff of Plymouth County, Hayward would have been invited to such a ball. The New-York Historical Society has a similar pari of gloves without the motto; the Metropolitan Museum of Art has a glove with a portrait of Lafayette; Old Sturbridge Village has children's shoes with a similar stencil; and in 2010, Northeast Auctions had a similar pair featuring a different image of Lafayette based on an engraving by C.C. Wright of New York. Condition: One glove is missing the thumb; the other glove's thumb is held on by a few stitches. The left glove appears to be in better condition than the right one; the right glove has had all the finger gussets removed and is completely unstitched.
Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Leather Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+F.881%2F2 |
