2-832-517 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Pair of light cream gloves with open cutwork lattice design on back of hands. The cotton knit gloves are seamed at the exterior side of the palm and along the fingers, with the seams left raw. There is a deep slit in the wrist at the center palm. The left (a) glove has a manufacturer's label sewn into the seam that reads "Van Raalte" in blue embroidered text. The right (b) glove has printed text in the interior palm that reads "ALL COTTON / EXCLUSIVE / OF ORNAMENTATION / SEWN IN PHILIPPINES". Mae Reeves (1912-2016) was a pioneering African-American milliner who was famous for her custom-made hats. Her business, Mae's Millinery Shop in downtown Philadelphia, was one of the first shops in the city to be owned by a woman of African American heritage.