Gloves

A lady wore gloves whenever she went out of the house, unless it was for household chores. Like wearing a bonnet, gloves were considered proper and appropriate attire when a lady left the house. 

Gloves of the 1860s were usually leather, occasionally cotton, silk or wool. They were wrist-length.

A lady (and a gentleman) wore white or ecru gloves to a ball, in order to make sure that the glove's dye didn't stain ladies' evening dresses. However, for normal daytime wear, all colors could be used. 

For short formal calls on a friend, a lady would generally keep her gloves on for the whole visit. However, if she was planning to stay for some time or participate in an activity such as sewing, she would remove them. A lady generally never ate food while wearing gloves.

Sources

Antique stores, Etsy and eBay often have vintage leather or cotton gloves that can pass for 1860s gloves.


At the Opera by William Powell Frith


White cotton gloves
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Blue leather gloves
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Wool gloves
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lavender leather gloves
Metropolitan Museum of Art

White leather gloves
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston