Child's Socks

Item number N3.11 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

A pair of child’s flat socks made of two pieces of fine plain white silk lined with coarser off-white cotton cloth. The silk is folded over towards the inside at the top and sewn to the cotton cloth in an invisible seam along the front, bottom and back of each sock. No stitching is visible as all is concealed between the two layers of fabric. There is a small opening on the inside front seam of each sock. The heel of each sock curves outward and the toes curve upward, ending in a point.

History Of Use

Such socks were worn by both adults and children. Lighter weight socks like these were worn in summer or fall; padded socks were worn in winter. Socks like these were normally made at home by the child’s mother, but also could be purchased from a merchant, in which case they would have been made in a small workshop. Socks the size of these were worn by a child aged about seven or eight. Men’s socks curved outward somewhat less at the heel. Because such socks have no elasticity, they are hard to put on and take off.

Specific Techniques

The seam joining the cotton lining and the outer layer of silk at the ankle was sewn first, and then the seam around the outer edge. The sock was then turned right side out through the small hole at the front of the ankle.