Episode 53: Gloves Revisited
Wednesday, October 4th, 2017
‘See how she leans her cheek upon her hand. O, that I were a glove upon that hand that I might touch that cheek’ (William Shakespeare, 1564-1616)
Welcome to Histories of the Unexpected, where you will discover the history of things that you did not know had a history; like the history of pens, or the history of dreams.
For this episode, let us join the greatest glover of the historical world Professor James Daybell, and the Machiavellian mitten-wearing Dr Sam Willis, as they knit their way through gloves revisited!
Sam and James throw down the gauntlet as they entertain you with stories of death in the ice and lost tokens of love, of sunken ships and the lives of their crews, and of the kings of England and their bejewelled gloves. Keep your ears open, as James introduces his favourite museum in the world, and Sam corrects the record regarding the infamous Franklin Expedition.
James and Sam will don their silk gloves, as they reveal that this unexpected history is actually all about: empire and exploration, symbolism and majesty, protection and preservation.
‘You cannot make a revolution with silk gloves’ (Joseph Stalin, 1878-1953)
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- Portrait of James I of England, 1610. Note the gloves.
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- These gloves are from the reign of James I of England.
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- Daniel Mytens portrait of Charles I (1631), complete with gloves.
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- 19th century ladies finger-less gloves.
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- Louise Moillon’s ‘Market Scene with a Pick-pocket’
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- Bow of the Vasa. Swedish warship.
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- Relics from the Vasa.
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- Falconry as pictured in the ‘De arte venandi cum avidus’ (Latin treatise on ornithology and falconry, 1240s).
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- Ticket for the execution of the famous Wolverhampton thief, Jonathan Wild, 1725.
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- 4 Nov 1854 newspaper report on relics from the Franklin Expedition, recovered by Dr. John Rae.
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- Sir John Franklin. Lithograph. Published: – Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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- Gloves from the Franklin Expedition.
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- Funeral monument to Sir John Franklin in the Painted Hall – Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Image.Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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