The One Important Science of Embroidery

Proposing a new structured study under the term “critical mending,” this article examines stocking darning and the properties of a darn through traditional archival research and practical, hands-on analysis of surviving mended hosiery. Applying critical mending on two collections of American stockings that span a hundred years reveals implications of virtue and poverty and the necessity of textile evidence to better understand historical and cultural context. Focusing on the heavily darned silk stockings of Stephen Girard (1750–1831) and Estella Doerr Haase (1896–1994), the author uncovers private and personal aspects of stocking darning and reveals the technological expertise and artistry involved in a mend. The mend’s immediacy and pragmatism show the living hand as no schoolroom exercise can, and when contextualized the intricate science of the mend becomes apparent.