Offered here is a beautiful pair of hand-made Victorian wedding garters likely from the last quarter of the 19th c. They are made of cream silk and edged in what looks to be hand-made 1¼” thick lace tatting. Each has two bows made of ribbon in the front on either side of the thigh with a ribbon swag connecting the two bows. I believe that the garters were held up on the leg by elastic contained within the turned and hemmed top portion of the garters. Early elastic tended to fail over time and after more than 100 years, these have little give when very gently tested. I think the condition of the elastic accounts for the approximately ¾” difference in the circumference of each garter:  one is 18” and the other 18¾”.  The overall width of the garters is about 3¼” excluding the ribbon swags. There are a few areas of staining which are shown in the photos. Although these garters are in solid condition and certainly not fragile, I would not recommend that they be worn. The color of these garters looks yellowish in some photos and this is not the case – they are a cream color. These are a hard-to-find, special event, underclothing accessory in fine originial condition for the Victorian lady.
 
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