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FASCIST DOSSIER

Requests for contributions in the years 1933-1935 between the “Federazione Fascista Autonoma Artigiani d’Italia” (Autonomous Fascist Federation of Artisans of Italy) in favour of the “Società Anonima Consorzio Guantario Napoletano” (Autonomous Fascist Federation of Artisans of Italy) and the Banco di Napoli, to foster the renovation of Neapolitan craftsmanship and the glove industry, and to organize the first National Fashion Show, held in April 1933 at the Teatro della Moda, Parco del Valentino, Turin.
Contribution Fund 12 – 16 October 1934
Banco di Napoli Historical Archives, Contribution Fund for Charitable, Welfare and Cultural Purposes, folder 15, Issue 12

IN DIFESA DELL’ARTE GUANTARIA (IN THE DEFENCE OF THE GLOVEMAKING ART)

Monograph by:
Vittorio Casaburi, Naples, Regia Stazione Sperimentale Industria Pelli e delle Materie Concianti- SSIP, [1926].
This monograph is a tribute to the Neapolitan artisan glovemaking tradition, and celebrates the skills and dedication of master glove makers.
Author Vittorio Casaburi, director of the SSIP from 1911 to 1939, defends the quality and excellence of manual labour against market pressures, urging new generations to preserve this art and recognise the value of local production.
The book includes a list of Neapolitan tanners, dyers and leather glove manufacturers as of 1925.

 

LIST OF GLOVE CRAFTSMEN -1933
Technical Supplement to the Official Bulletin of the Regia Stazione Sperimentale dell’Industria delle Pelli e delle Materie Concianti.
Issue 2 is entirely dedicated to the activities carried out in the 1930-1932 period, with publication of the list of glove craftsmen as at 1932.

 

LIST OF LEATHER MANUFACTURERS AND TRADERS – 1940
Technical Supplement to the Official Bulletin of the Regia Stazione Sperimentale dell’Industria delle Pelli e delle Materie Concianti.
The supplement, published since 1936, lists the contributions of leather industrialists and merchants.

 

DRIVER GLOVES
Driver gloves, designed to ‘fit like a second skin’, offer an excellent grip on the steering wheel, and enhance the driving experience in both winter and summer.
Made of soft Nappa leather, this hybrid product combines elegance and function.
Its distinctive elements – such as the open knuckles and perspiration holes – enhance the driver’s freedom of movement and comfort, and give the glove a unique and timeless design.
Numerous internationally renowned car manufacturers give their customers a pair of complimentary Naples driver gloves, with the purchase of one of their cars.
Collezione Andreano
1980s

 

PERFORATED GLOVES
Inspired by fabric gloves adorned with lace, the openwork mill was born and has evolved over time thanks to the evolution of digital technologies.
From die-cut to laser cut, perforated gloves models and designs have multiplied exponentially.
From total to partial, from geometric with rhombuses, circles or triangles to floral with soft, sinuous marks.
Particularly suitable in spring and summer, these gloves can be adapted to both classic and sporty looks.
Collezione Andreano
1980s

 

MULTICOLOURED GLOVES
The well-designed and stitched glove fourchettes (i.e. strips of material running between the fingers) are a particularly complex element in glove making.
In some models, they are made with a contrasting colour on the palm and back to enhance their silhouette and aesthetics.
By adding coloured strips between the fingers, the glove becomes a classy multicoloured accessory.
Collezione Andreano
1990s

 

STITCHED GLOVE
Some of the most peculiar Classic Neapolitan glove models include the Piegolino and the stitched glove.
The latter is characterised by a variety of cords and types of stitching. From those that capture the hand anatomy, to those that emphasise the cuts of the product, and those that use embroidery to achieve complex decorative geometric or floral patterns.
Collezione Andreano
1980s

 

TEXTILE OVERHAND GLOVE
In the 1950s, Adriano Olivetti opened a factory for state-of-the-art office machines in Pozzuoli, in the heart of southern Italy. The Andreano company was in charge of producing work gloves for the factory workers. Further along, they developed a collection inspired by the work model as a tribute to the excellence and industrial innovation of the time.
Collezione Andreano
1950s

 

PIEGOLINO
The Piegolino glove is a model characterised by small decorative pleats on the leather, often made on the back or around the wrist. These pleats, obtained by manual pleating techniques, give the glove a unique refinement and timeless elegance.
The Piegolino manufacturing technique symbolizes a high standard of craftsmanship, as it requires great skills and precision to create a harmonious aesthetic effect, without compromising the fit of the glove.
The Piegolino glove dates back to the 19th century, when gloves became an indispensable fashion accessory for upper class men and women. This type of glove was often used for formal events and to complement elegant dresses. The Piegolino technique, developed within the European craft tradition, and in Naples in particular, was conceived to enhance the beauty of the material and add a distinctive touch to leather gloves.
Collezione Artigianato del Guanto
Year 2022

 

WORK TABLE

 

Iron die cutter

1940-1970,

Fondo Casa del Guanto.

Thumb cutting tool.

 

Steel scissors

1950-1970,

Artigiano del Guanto.

Specific scissors used by glove makers for cutting forks, harnesses and glove hide in general.

 

Wooden rod

1950-1960,

Artigiano del Guanto.

Tool used to spread the glove fingers and check the seam tightness.

 

Wooden ruler

1950-1970,

Artigiano del Guanto.

Ruler with unit of measurement in pied de roi (French foot).

 

Iron gauge

1940-1970,

Fondo Casa del Guanto.

Tool used in splitting operations to cut off any excess leather in a clean and accurate manner.

 

Iron thumb gauges and dies

1990-2024,

Artigiano del Guanto

Iron cutting tools for men’s gloves.

 

Glove hide tools

1762,

Fondo Biblioteca SSIP.

Reproduction on paper of leather gloves manufacturing tools, taken from Diderot and d’Alembert’s Encyclopedie of 1762, and published in the facsimile reproduction ‘Recueil de planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques, avec leur explication. Art du cuir’, Paris, Bibliotheque de l’image, 2002.

 

Metal sewing machine

1950-1970,

Fondo Casa del Guanto.

Specific machine for stitching leather gloves with a saddle stitch.

 

Glove patterns

2018-2024,

Artigiano del Guanto.

Cardboard templates and gauges to check whether the split matched the size indicated on the passa (card glove).

 

Metal knife

1940-1970,

Gala Gloves.

Knife with sturdy blade and no cutting edge to cut the hem off leather.

 

Die-cut gauge with iron combs for trimming

1940-1980,

Gala Gloves.

Glove cutting tool with comb for perforating leather for hand stitching.

 

Wooden hands

1930-1970,

Artigiano del Guanto.

Hand structure used for glove lining.

 

Tube with iron base

1940-1970,

Sandro Temin.

Tool for tipping and spreading gloves.

 

Glove components

2024,

Azienda Andreano.

Glove parts before the stitching phase.

MANUSCRIPTS AND LEATHER PROCESSING

Naples growth in the Aragonese period – from the mid 1500s onwards – is a fascinating phenomenon that reflects a demographic expansion along with a considerable economic and cultural development.
The presence of 141 coirari – artisans specialised in leather tanning – is indicative of a lively and diversified production sector. The increase to 741 units, when considering all related craft activities, highlights the importance of an artisan-based economy that met the needs of a growing population.
In particular, Neapolitan tanning stands out for the variety and quality of the products manufactured. Everyday objects, such as shoes and accessories, furniture items and children’s toys, attest to the craftsmanship and creativity of local artisans.
Furthermore, the use of leather in the typographic sector suggests an innovative concept of communication and culture. This expansion not only made Naples an important centre for trade and industry, but also helped to create a vibrant urban culture in which arts and crafts were intertwined, resulting in a period of great excitement and developments.
The coirari were in charge of submitting the different kinds of tanned hides – called ‘crust leather’, because of its unprocessed nature – to several finishing processes, to improve leather’s handling, its mechanical characteristics and its external appearance. The leather’s features were decided based on the needs of the leather craftsmen the end product was destined to (e.g., shoemakers, saddlers, coachbuilders, glovemakers, box makers, bookbinders, etc.). Over time, trade workers organised themselves into guilds. A guild included professions related to one another in terms of source material used or manufacturing process carried out. For example, papermakers used sheep skin treated in different ways to produce parchment or leather writing surfaces, while furriers tanned skins to use other materials (fur or wool).
The covers of Medieval manuscripts (Pamphlets, Newspapers, Major Books, Property Books) and the other material elements to create them were made by craftsmen known as ‘paper markers’ or ‘stationers’.
Concerning the entire bookbinding technique, from book preparation to cover application, the latter was especially valued and regarded in an artistic manner over the centuries.
The earliest bindings are dated between the 4th and 5th century, when books gradually surrendered their roll form to take on the current appearance.

Closed book with leather cover
The cover of this manuscript, consisting of two leather plates and a leather spine, was most likely made of a vegetable-tanned sheepskin leather. The decoration recalls the embossing technique with two iron types, one with a triple braiding and the other with a plant scroll shoot.

 

THE CIMMINO FAMILY

The Cimmino family is an emblematic example of traditional Italian craftsmanship in the tanning and glove production industry. Founded by Francesco Cimmino, who opened his first tannery in Naples, the company has evolved over time, maintaining its excellent quality and attention to details over time. In the 1950s, Salvatore Cimmino and his wife Mariateresa Mollo started the glove factory in Via Tribunali, one of Naples historic districts, and later moved to Via Palmieri. This move marked an important growth phase for the company, which stood out for the quality of its glove production, achieved through a meticulous craftsmanship process.

Mariateresa Mollo was central to the company’s success, and her rigorous approach was crucial in creating brilliant products. The tannery, on the other hand, was based in Casoria, where Lucio Cimmino continued the family business, further expanding the company’s operations.

The quality of the work carried out by the Cimmino family has been nationally recognised by numerous awards, including the one conferred by Giulio Andreotti in the 1960s, who awarded Mariateresa Mollo as ‘Best Artisan Company’.

 

This recognition, together with an award from the Associazione Nazionale Guantai Italiani (Italian glovemaker association) in 1966 for a glove presented during a model design contest, consolidated the family’s reputation in the industry.

 

Recognition Plaque
for the supply of leather gloves received from Macy’s – US retail chain founded in 1858 in New York City, under the name “R. H. Macy & Co.”

 

COMMUNICATION

‘La Rivista del Guanto’ (1962-1973), published by the Associazione Nazionale Guantai Italiani (National Association of Italian Glovemakers), was a fundamental showcase for the Italian glove industry, celebrating the quality craftsmanship of leading companies in the sector, many of which were in the entire Naples province, such as Ariston, Bertona, Portolano and many others. The magazine promoted gloves as accessories, and also reflected the evolution of style trends, from elegant designs to sporty gloves, marking a change in taste and everyday practices.

The companies’ advertisements, with many pictures and graphic details, played a crucial role in consolidating the image of craftsmanship excellence and promoting the quality of Italian products.

Glovemaker classes correspondence folder 1969-1974, Italian Leather Research Institute Archive, from which the following documents were selected:

1971 Manifesto by the Italian Leather Research Institute Archive, announcing the possibility of applying in the tender addressed to ‘Glove leather cutters and glove seamstresses’

1953 Manifesto by the Italian Leather Research Institute Archive, announcing the possibility of applying in the tender addressed to ‘Glovemakers and dyers’

Advertisement request by the by the Italian Leather Research Institute Archive, on IL MATTINO newspaper of Sunday, 26 September 1971 to promote the possibility of applying in the tender addressed to ‘Glove leather cutters and glove seamstresses’

Advertising on IL MATTINO newspaper Sunday, 26 September 1971 to promote the possibility of applying in the tender addressed to ‘Glove leather cutters and glove seamstresses’

GLOVEMAKERS IN NAPLES

In Naples, tanner’s guilds were divided into ‘coirari dell’arte piccola’ (skin small art) and ‘coirari dell’arte grossa’ (hide great art). Even though we do not know when the first guild was founded, a charter by Charles V dated 13 March 1549, and concerning the confirmation of the thirty-five ‘Capitoli et ordinazioni concessi al homini et maestri coyrari della città di Napoli’ belonging to the ‘arte grossa’, refers to a previous Capitulation.

The Coirari (Tanners) were located in the area of Piazza Mercato (formerly Foro Magno), close to the city walls, where, between the Carmine and Market gates, was the gate known as the “Tannery gate”, clearly visible on Baratta’s map (1670). One hundred years later, in the Duke of Noja’s map (1775), we read: ‘Here was the ancient gate known as the Tannery, which was removed in the time of Charles III of Spain.’ We find traces of their existence in the names of places that still exist, such as ‘Vico vacche alla conceria’, while ‘Vico Conceria’ has now become ‘Via Nuova Marina’. In the Duke of Noja’s map, these places are described as follows: “This street and the surrounding alleys are home to calf leather tanning and cordwain artisans.”

In these centuries, glovemakers – who belonged to the perfumer/glovemakers guild, which in Naples manufactured scented gloves in the Arabian-Grenadian fashion style – could be found mostly on ‘Via dei Guantai Vecchi’ and ‘Via dei Guantai Nuovi’. Here, the figure of the sciosciamosche was very popular: standing in front of the fashionable shops in Via dei Guantai, he invited passers-by to buy something ‘Along the street, standing as motionless sentries in front of each shop, and not letting anyone pass through without first having stunned them with the rigmaroles they learned by heart… Missus, don’t you need anything… someone shouted to you from the sidelines […]’

 

Naples and glovemakers after 1804

In 1804, King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies granted Giovanni Loforte – a glovemaker originally from Palermo who had learned his trade in France – a ‘transgressive licence’, i.e. outside the provisions of the statute for the perfumer/glovemakers guild. Failing to adapt to the innovations already widespread in Europe, in 1661 the guild had become the perfumer/soapmaker guild. The saying ‘So robbe de li guantare’ (It is junk made by glove makers) means cheap and second-rate items, compared to those sold in department stores. The direction finally changed in 1804, with the establishment of the glove industry that would bring so much lustre to the city of Naples, by combining innovations from beyond the Alps with the imagination and craftsmanship that only Naples had. The art of glovemaking spread throughout the city, concentrating mainly in the neighbourhoods around Via Foria, and Via Sanità with Vico Lammatari, or further down on Via S. Antonio Abate, where it was customary to hear seamstresses and harness-makers at work, and to smell the glue made from scraps and leather processing waste, which was then used by furniture makers and gilders. The craftsmanship of the Neapolitan glovemakers came out of the guilds to expand throughout the city of Naples, where it is still alive today, with mixed successes.

Between July 1817 and the decree suppressing the guilds and corporations in 1821, an attempt was made to save at least the mutual assistance purposes of guild members, even though they had long since given up all production standards and rules, in favour of a liberalised market trend that could no longer do without the innovations widespread in other Countries. With the redevelopment of Rione San Giuseppe a Carità and the construction of Palazzo delle Poste, Via Guantai Vecchi also disappeared to make way for a new modern and functional district. The largest transformation projects that involved the City of Naples between the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century were based on the ‘Schiavoni’ map technique, named after its initiator, who drew an accurate map of the city starting in 1872. In this map, we can see the old (in yellow) and new (in blue) Vie dei Guantai.

 

THE FRENCH INFLUENCE

The period Napoleonic Kingdom, known in the history of southern Italy as the French Decade (1806-1815), represents a crucial moment for the glove industry in Naples. During those years, glove production underwent considerable developments, influenced by the techniques and practices of the Grenoble gantiers, who were renowned for their craftsmanship. Among the mechanical instruments, worthy of notice is the special equipment used by top-level Neapolitan glover companies, which followed in the footsteps of the great gantiers. Those included presses of various sizes for shearing materials, and several complete sets of metal gauges for glove cutting with the Jouvin, Alexandre, Josephine, Ricochet, Reynier, Dumont, Landier, Mouret and Bergery cutting systems, each with its own peculiarities, which do not differ substantially from one another.

This synergy between traditional craftsmanship and technological innovation contributed to Naples position as an important glove manufacturing hub, capable of meeting the demands of an expanding market and influencing the fashion trends of the time. The quality and variety of gloves produced during this period became a symbol of status and refinement, to the extent that Neapolitan gloves gain popularity even beyond the national borders.

Invention of gauges and mechanized cutting by Xavier Jouvin.

The invention of gauges and the mechanisation of glove cutting represent a crucial moment in the history of the production of this accessory. In 1819, the creation of hand-shaped iron dies by Vallet d’Artois paved the way for an innovation that would revolutionise the industry. However, it was Xavier Jouvin, a young medical student from Grenoble, who took this idea further and perfected it, by focusing on the way leather extends and on the hand conformation. Through his research, Jouvin developed a system of 32 gauges, each corresponding to a different glove size, and assigned a conventional number to each of them.

This initial numbering was later replaced by a more practical system, based on measurements in inches, which is still in use in the modern glove industry.

Jouvin’s work did not stop with gauges. In 1834, he filed a patent application for an even more innovative invention: the ‘iron hand’. These metal moulds were designed to cut simultaneously six pairs of gloves per gauge, thus optimising the production process. The patent was approved in 1838, and in 1839 the system was awarded a bronze medal at the Paris Industrial Exhibition, recognising the importance of the innovation it brought along. In 1849, when the use of the ‘iron hand’ became widespread, its adoption in international trade marked a significant change in the glove manufacturing sector, increasing its efficiency and standardising sizes. This technical development not only improved the quality and availability of gloves, it also represented an important step towards the mechanisation of the manufacturing industry.

Iron gauge with cutting system X. Jouvin with backlash plate

Fondo Casa del Guanto

 

French-made gloves manufactured in a 20th century Grenoble factory

Cimmino family private collection

 

French glove, black and white

Private collection, Galagloves

 

Manuel de Ganterie, by C. Toulouse, 1927

Fondo Biblioteca SSIP

 

WHITE LEATHER GLOVES

These gloves presumably belonged to a member of the Dohrn family, founded by Anton Dohrn, first Director of the Zoological Research Institute established in March 1872.

Anton Dohrn was born in Szczecin, Pomerania, part of today’s Poland, in 1840, in an upper-middle class family. He studied zoology and medicine in several German universities, albeit without much enthusiasm.

His ideals changed in the summer of 1862, when he came to Jena and met Ernst Haeckel, who introduced him to the works and theories of Charles Darwin.

Donated from the Dohrn Collection, late 19th – early 20th century

Permanent museum holdings of the Fondazione Mondragone, Naples, Museo della Moda