The Osborne Socks & the Lost Art of Letter Writing
We may be at the point where there are too many objects and things in the world now to the point of dangerous saturation, but I think we can probably all agree that the loss of letters and the stories they leave behind is something we haven’t even begun to properly mourn yet. Imagine if Jane Osborne and her friend Annie had just dropped each other a quick text to say ‘hope you liked the baby socks’ and ‘thanks so much’ respectively, there would be nobody marvelling at the story of two friends in Belfast and Dublin exchanging pleasantries 125 years ago … and no Osborne Socks pattern.
Three years ago I was clicking around on an auction site late into the night and came across a pair of tiny baby socks along with an accompanying letter dated 1899 … instant obsession, naturally. I was working for Zenzie Tinker Conservation at the time, an incredible Brighton-based textile conservation studio, who investigate, preserve and beautifully present tapestries, textiles and costume to the very highest standards for a range of heritage, museum and private clients. The studio is one of the largest privately run textile conservation studios in the UK (do click on the link and have a browse around the website, so many interesting stories to be found there).
Zenzie is also an avid costume and textile collector and over the years has amassed a fascinating study collection, allowing conservators to experiment and interns to gain more hands-on experience. Zenzie fell in love with the socks and the story behind them too and acquired them for the collection. Together we plotted to bring the socks back to life in the form of a knitting pattern so that knitters could interact with this little slice of social history.
So what did the socks and handwritten letter reveal? The missive is from Jane Osborne in Belfast, dated September 11th 1899 and sent to a friend or relative, Annie, in Dublin upon the birth of her daughter. Jane states that the socks were originally knitted for herself and sent to her own mother – they were only worn once at her baptism in 1847, already making them a good 52 years old when they were sent to Annie, presumably making Jane a bit older than her friend or relative.
Jane tells us that ‘they were only worn on one occasion, the night I was baptised, so I don’t know anyone who would take such interest in my little stockings but yourself’ – imagine if she knew knitters would be taking such an interest over a century later. Sounds like this isn’t Annie’s first child as Jane offers her congratulations ‘on another joy to the many’ and later adds ‘I am glad you are safe through once more, and all going well and glad to know you have got a nice girl to help you.’ I wonder how many Annie had, and if her other children were boys then, not destined to help their mother with the household chores?! Sound like her daughter's future had already been mapped out.
The letter apologises for not sending the socks sooner, due to Jane having 'weakened down with the heat in August and had something like an attack of the influenza and felt heartless for a good while'. That reference to the flu is not to be taken lightly - eight years previously there had been an outbreak in Belfast (part of the broader 'Russian Flu' pandemic) resulting in 891 registered deaths in the city (presumably included in 1,784 deaths caused by respiratory failure out of a recorded 6,357), and this on the back of a previous severe outbreak in 1890. You could read Jane's somewhat casual reference as masking a real fear of how gravely her illness could have developed. There's an interesting article here by Ian Miller, Senior Lecturer in History at Ulster University, about Belfast's unsanitary conditions at the time if you want to dig deeper into the backdrop of Jane's home city.
You can read the full letter transcript below.
So to the socks … I recognised the pattern as a Shetland lace stitch, Print O’ The Wave, which was originally documented in Mrs Jane Gaugain’s ‘Lady’s Assistant in Knitting, Netting and Crochet’. Mrs Gaugain, owner of an Edinburgh haberdashery, was the author of many popular knitting books at the time, and this particular volume, first published in 1840, ran to 22 editions, so it’s entirely possible that this was the inspiration for these socks originally (although the stitch didn’t come by its name until later). You can see they’re incredibly fine (and in very good condition despite the discolouration) and would have been knitted using super fine pins and cotton.
The Museum Knits socks are knitted in the round from the cuff down using five dpns or a 23cm (9in) circular needle and give instructions for four different sizes from baby feet upwards, offering charts as well as written instructions. They have a reinforced slipped stitch heel flap to give a more robust heel the original more perfunctory heel and toe.
Click here to buy the pattern (10% of sales goes to the Zenzie Tinker Conservation study fund).
Letter Transcript:
The Glen
Limestone Road
Belfast
Sept 11th 1899
Dear Annie,
Your last letter received a few days ago, and no wonder you were thinking there was something wrong when I did not write to congratulate you on another joy to the many, a little girl. I was quite disappointed I could not write and send the Baby these little stockings. Perhaps it is not too late yet. I know you like old things with a history. These stockings were knitted by the lady my mother was at school with and sent to her as a gift when I was born, just 52 years ago, I believe. They were only worn on one occasion, the night I was baptised, so I don’t know anyone would take such interest in my little stockings but yourself. I am glad you are safe through once more, and all going well and glad to know you have got a nice girl to help you. I weakened down with the heat in August and had something like an attack of influenza and felt heartless for a good while, but I am getting a great deal better now. I like the cold weather best, I thought every day I would feel better and write to you. I hope mother will be able to come down soon. We will be very glad to see her and it is just as good a time as any, so we will be looking for her.
Annie O Campbell and her Father were here for two days, I think in July. Annie intended to stay for a week or so, but Mr Patterson would not stay from home any longer and would not go without her. I hope Annie you will be strong and well to see your little flock, and I hope Mr B is well. My kind regards to him and love to Mother and little ones. Jane is wonderfully well and joins in love,
Yours very affectionately,
Jane D Osborne