18th Century Stockings

From The Annals of Philadelphia: “Ancient ladies remembered a time in their early life, when the ladies wore blue stockings and party coloured clocks of very striking appearance … I have seen with Samuel Coates, Esq., the wedding silk stockings of his grandmother, of a lively green, and great red clocks. My grandmother wore in winter very fine worsted green stockings with a gay clock surmounted with a bunch of tulips.”

See also the linkspage on garters.

• MFA 43.1951a,b, a pair of clocked silk stockings, c. 1650-1750; “Embroidered clocks of silver yarns and wires in conventionalized vegetative motif. Knitted red silk ground, six white stripes at top, white toe.”
• MFA 43.1944a,b, a pair of clocked silk stockings, c. 1650-1750; “Embroidered clocks of straw-colored silk yarns in decorative motif. Knitted rose silk ground, thirteen yellow stripes at top, polychrome sole.”
• MFA 43.1942a,b, a pair of openworked silk stockings, c. 1650-1750; “Openwork over instep embroidered with polychrome silk yarns in lozenges and chevrons. Knitted green silk ground, two narrow white bands at top, white toe.”
• NCM 1985-770/1, Nottingham (?), England, c. 1700; “Man's or woman's stocking knitted in blue silk on the stocking frame. The ankle has 'turn shape' decoration made by taking a stitch off the needle, turning it round and putting it back on the needle. Stockings of 1732 - 1743 on the wax figure of the Duchess of Buckingham in Westminster Abbey have similar decoration.”
• MFA 53.253a,b, a pair of white cotton knit stockings, France; “instep and lower leg in vertical stripes of fancy stitches, upper leg in horizontal stripes of fancy open-work stitches, initial: S, and symbol embroidered in black silk in cross stitch on top of stockings.”
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• MFA 53.256a,b, a pair of silk knit stockings, France, 1723-1724; “Pale pink silk knitted stockings with elaborate open-work knitting on instep with some details embroidered; darned.”
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• LACMA M.82.8.3, a man’s silk knit stocking, England, c. 1750
• CW 1967-131,1, knit white linen stocking, England, c. 1750; “[frame] knitted of white linen thread in stockinette stitch; full-fashioned calf, handsewn back seam, turned heel with clocks knitted in rose silk and decorated with pattern of reciprocal vine, rosette, and coronet.”
• CW 1954-1051,1, green knit silk stocking, England, c. 1750; “Shaped frame-knitted stocking of dark green silk with contrasting clocks in cream color with crown and conventionalized flower above zig-zag stem on each side of cream colored triangular gussett.”
• CW 1975-182,1, carnation-pink knit silk, England, c. 1750; stockinette stitch with fashioned calf, seamed up back, top tunnel hem, and fancy clocks in dark blue showing trailing floral vine with flowers, hearts, stars in symmetrical design. Frame knitted.”
• MFA 43.1952a,b, a pair of clocked stockings of “white knitted silk with polychrome silk and silver embroidered clocks … in a floral motif,” c. 1750-1800
• CW 2009-43,4A&B, knit linen stockings, Philadelphia, c. 1785
• White wool stockings, 1788
• MFA 43.2004a,b, a pair of stockings knit in blue and white and black in a zig-zag pattern, probably France, late 18th century, later made over into sleeves
• MFA 99.842a-b, a pair of man’s stockings, America, late 18th century; “frame-knitted cotton and silk … brown-gray ribbed stocking, saw-tooth top edge, white toe and front part of sole,” possibly made in Nottingham, England (worn in Lexington, Massachusetts), late 18th century
• MFA 43.1948a,b, a pair of silk stockings, France, c. 1790-1800; “Embroidered clock of white silk yarns in stylized floral motif with yellow and pink silk details, knitted white gore. Knitted blue silk ground, eleven red and white bands at top.”
• Augusta 8.4835.110.318, a man’s hand-knit linen stockings, America, 18th-19th century
• CW 1988-466,1, “white linen stockings made of cut and sewn tabby-woven fabric … inexpensive alternatives for laborers and the poor,” England, c. 1800