JUST KIDS, A STORY OF GLOVES Part 2
Description
The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: “Gloves are one way of two ways of keeping ones hands warm and are admitted to be quite handy.” “Some are made of pigskin, some of horsehide, while others are just kid.” Workers in shop spreading hides over table. “Rolled in wet cloths to make stretching easier.” Worker rolling hides in cloth on table. “Fine hands wear fine gloves, these are made mostly by hand.” Workers at long line of tables. “Stretching the leather on which depends the forming and cutting to size.” Worker cutting and stretching leather. “Everything’s done very simply -- right handed men make right handed gloves, left handed men do what’s left. Cutting by hand die.” Worker using hand die, trimming with scissors. “Machine cut.” Worker placing leather on plate, inserting into press, operating press. “Nothing wasted -- the little pieces are used between the fingers and the thumb.” Worker using hand die to cut small pieces. “Glove’s anatomy.” Lay-out of pieces which when put together form a glove. “Where a stitch in time makes several hundred gloves.” Women workers sitting at long row of sewing machines, sewing gloves. “Fancy work.” Close-up of woman worker at sewing machine, stitching pattern on back of glove. “Making a glove.” Woman worker at sewing machine stitching glove - woman trying on partially finished glove. “Re-turned.” Worker at machine, turning glove inside out. “Inspecting, cutting and sewing linings together.” Worker cutting lining with hand die - women workers sewing linings. “It takes an iron hand to do this work.” Woman worker fitting linings over metal hand, then fitting gloves over linings. “Wristlets.” Woman worker sewing wristlets onto gloves. “Cutting, pasting, and sewing cuffs together.” Worker cutting cuffs by machine - women at table pasting cuffs together - women at sewing machine sewing cuffs. “Binding edge and swing seam of cuffs.” Women workers at machines binding and seaming cuffs. “Every chauffeur wears ’em.” Woman worker at sewing machine, sewing cuffs on gloves. “Appearance is everything so the gloves are placed on steam heated forms.” Worker placing gloves on metal forms. “Pressing cuffs.” Worker inserting wooden form in cuff, pressing with iron. “Adding a few lights.” Worker polishing cuff of glove on buffing machine. “Putting a little snap to the gloves.” Worker at machine attaching snap fasteners to gloves. “A winter’s supply.” Worker at table piled high with gloves. “The final once over.” Worker inspecting gloves inside and out - trying on glove. “They might not look it but really they’re ‘Just kids.’” People ice skating in park - boy helping girl with skates, putting on gloves, skating. [1919]
Read more