Rare – Pair of Revolutionary War soldier’s stockings

This is another great piece being offered, it is an original pair of Revolutionary War stockings. As with most high stockings of the period, they are hand-knitted. In addition to the blue coats, the Continental army also wore white, off-white, or beige waistcoats, breeches, and long-sleeved hunting shirts, black tricorne hats, white stockings and black or dark shoes with buckles. English, German, and French troops would also wear similar stockings.

Period clothing is especially hard to find, and stockings even more so, especially in this condition. Stockings were valued by every soldier, because if they could keep their feet dry and warm, they had a better chance of staying healthy. Anyone of Washington's troops at Valley Forge would have been thrilled to have a good pair of stockings like these.

These stockings survived well, being put away in an old trunk in New England for hundreds of years. They would make a great addition to any collection. There are examples of these stockings in "Collector's Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution", by Kravic and Neumann (see pictures)