Featured J.R. Palmenberg’s Sons hand shop fitting

Today I acquired this carved wooden hand with poseable thumb, mounted on a porcelain base marked “England” and “J.R. Palmenberg’s Sons New York”. I see that this Palmenberg’s company made shop displays and fittings, so I presume this hand is meant to display gloves in a shop? The paper label with the number 24 and words “Victoria” and “Dominion” are interesting but I have no idea of their meaning. Does anyone know? Anyway, I love how sculptural this hand is, and its slightly creepy quality!

 

Victoria = glove model?
24 = size?
Dominion =

 

Great thoughts - thank you! Now, I need to find out if 24 is a glove size…

 

Wonderful - thank you so much!

 

Interesting addresses. Both off Washington Square. Both part of NYU now. Works incorporated into university building. Salesrooms gone.

Debora

 

I’ve discovered there was a Dominion Glove Co. Ltd. here in Canada (where the hand was found). So, perhaps “Dominion” is the maker, 24 is the glove size, and “Victoria” is the style?

 

This is interesting... In the 1893 catalog above, glove models are meant to be displayed flat. Note they are not sized beyond Ladies', Misses' and Childs'.

Debora

 

Interesting indeed! I like the mention of all models having moveable thumbs, as mine has this feature. Thank you!

 

One of the best hand displays I've seen.

 

Very cool !

 

This was a more interesting thread than I thought it was going to be!

 

Ya...gotta ' hand ' it to the members here !!

 

very cool piece

lol komokwa

 

Agree. Very cool indeed. The detail together with the rich colour and grain of the wood is beautiful. A little piece of art. Very nice find!

 

those are basketball hands..

 

For gripping or for playing the piano..

 

I’ll bet these hands were scaled-down copies of a larger master, made with a three-dimensional pantograph. Of course, I could be wrong, but this would make sense if they were being mass produced in different sizes.