Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Pair of Victorian Socks, 1890

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Socks. I love socks, especially colorful socks (or, in gemological terms, "fancy-color" socks"). These socks were made in 1890 which makes me love them all the more.

How long have socks been a part of the lives of human feet? The love affair with socks began around the Eighth Century, but the fashion didn't really catch-on until the beginning of the Nineteenth Century when men began wearing trousers instead of breeches. (Okay, I know. What's the difference? Breeches, let's say, hit the knee whereas trousers are longer and go to the ankle. With breeches, men wore stockings but socks were easier to keep in place beneath a trouser leg). By the 1840s, ingenious hosiery-makers were producing socks with ribbed cuffs, so that they would not slip down. Of course, they still did, but not as much. Men's socks were usually made of cotton, merino or silk.

These dandy socks were meant to be worn during the day and would have added a bit of jazz to the wearer’s outfit. Tartan socks and stockings such as these were particularly fashionable for women and men alike by the 1860s and were the height of popularity for day and sporting wear by the 1890s.

This pair is machine-knitted silk with the welt and foot in scarlet, and the toe finished in white silk. They were made between 1890 and 1900 by I. & R. Morley Ltd., the largest hosiery manufacturer in England at the time.