Vest

Date: 1500s

Knitted shirts or vests are mentioned in a list of knitted items in an act of 1552 limiting the times of year that wool could be bought and sold. This child's knitted wool vest was found at Finsbury in London. As with the other knitted items in the gallery, it is a rare survival of a knitted garment from this period. It is seamless, suggesting it was knitted on four needles, a very old technique.

Accession number: 39.108/1

Place made: Finsbury, London [Islington]

Place of collection: Finsbury, London [Islington]

Material: wool

Measurements: H (neck to hem) 372 mm; H (total) 470 mm; W (chest) 460 mm; D 80 mm

Gallery location: Case 17.11