Stocking

Object Type
Stockings were essential items in everyone's wardrobe. The desire to mass-produce knitted hose spurred technological development, starting with the invention of the stocking frame in the late 16th century and the circular frame in the early 19th century.

Designs & Designing
This stocking features two colours of silk, a black leg and foot with a white toe and welt. The addition of 'clocks' (patterns worked at the ankle) and decorative patterning in women's stockings was typical in the 19th century.

The inclusion of the manufacturer's name and motto in the knitted pattern were special additions for the purpose of the exhibition. Normally the manufacturer was indicated by maker's marks or initials.

Historical Associations
According to the Great Exhibition Jury Report, there were 50,000 stocking frames in the hosiery trade alone, producing over œ3 million pounds worth of goods annually. However, the Jury noted that Britain was lagging behind the United States and Germany in the application of steam power to the stocking frame. Encouraged and abetted by the reports of the Great Exhibition, British inventors began developing the next generation of knitting machinery, which came to fruition in the second half of the 19th century.