“To Buy Him a Pair of Gloves”: Glove Etiquette, Fashion Consumption and the Building of Respectable Images in The Newcomes

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Enlightened by Victorian etiquette manuals, this article draws attention to William M. Thackeray’s representations of gloves in The Newcomes (1811–1863). By analyzing how the characters in the novel offend against or abide by the glove etiquette, it shows how their glove performances correlate with their sense of style and overall demeanor, as well as how the seemingly minor properties of gloves such as their material, color, and using condition are expressive of Victorian codes of class and gender configuration. It argues that as a synonym for fashion, luxury, and life of leisure in nineteenth-century Britain, gloves were not only key items in the pecuniary competition among middle-class English women, but also one of the important props in the sartorial performance aimed at building a respectable image.