Date: c. 1894-1902
Origin: London, Great Britain
Fabric: Silk
Brand: Bourne & Hollingsworth
Machine knitted silk stockings with profuse silk thread embroidery at the ankle. Stable and washable black dyes weren’t invented until the second half of the 19th century and first began to appear in undergarments worn against the skin until towards the end of the century. Elaborately embellished ankles were a feature of stockings since the practice of ‘clocked’ embroidered ankle gussets in early 18th century stockings.
Bourne & Hollingsworth began as a drapery store in Westbourne Grove in 1894, later opening a large department store in 1902 on Oxford Street. It was named for its founders, brothers-in-law Walter William Bourne and Howard E Hollingsworth. The store finally closed in 1983.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska
