Objects of Substance- Grammar Gloves and the Gate Duty Book

There were repercussions for non-compliance – the prefects would stand at the gate in the afternoon and inspect your appearance as you left. If you had a ladder in your stockings or a hole in your gloves, you had to go back in and repair them before leaving. If not wearing gloves or hat – detention! Thus was the memory of Christine Woodford (Jones, 1972), self-professed compliant Grammar girl. Why were navy gloves part of the Grammar uniform? Were they always part of the uniform? What did girls think about this often-frustrating element of Grammar life and the subsequent Gate Duty and Detention Books? When did gloves disappear from the Grammar wardrobe? Historically, gloves were an integral part of any fashionable person’s wardrobe, and they had both practical and symbolic uses. In earlier centuries, they were thought to provide protection from disease, be functional in daily work and activities, and keep women’s hands soft and unblemished and, therefore, highly attractive. They also represented wealth and power even purity, provided a way of communication when men wished to issue a challenge to another, or for women to display refined social etiquette and a privileged existence. For the Grammar girl of 1923, they were an essential element of her newly acquired uniform. Marjorie Puregger, Head Girl in 1923, shared with the Modern History class of 1992, her insights of the newly created 1923 Grammar uniform which included gloves. One of her duties as a prefect was to ensure all students wore their navy gloves – even in the hot Brisbane summers!

1924 – Speech Day at BGS. Some girls with gloves in front row – perhaps prize winners.