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Baby Mittens

Curated Submission
Place
Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada
Date
Circa 1940
DIMENSIONS in centimetres
12 x 7
Materials & techniques
Wool, rabbit fur; Machine woven, machine-sewn
Credit
Gift of Liz White
ID
Textile Museum of Canada T2011.2.1ab
These tiny mittens belonged to Liz White (née Junkin), born in 1939, when she was a baby and lived in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario. Made from thick, machine-knit wool, felted, and trimmed with white rabbit fur, these fancy mittens were warm and comfortable for little hands, an indispensable item in a child’s wardrobe in Kawartha Lakes, where winters arrive early and depart late. A label that proudly reads “Made in Canada” is attached to the inside seam of one of the mittens.

Many textile companies in the United States had closed during the Great Depression, including those that made knitted and leather gloves. In a December 1939 article “A New Market for Canadian Handicrafts” in Chatelaine, the Canadian Trade Commissioner in New York attested to the significance of the moment for the Canadian textile industry, and spoke of a plan to increase production and distribution of Canadian textiles and crafts. These tiny mittens may well have resulted from those efforts.
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