The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 15, 2026

A vertically oriented black-and-white photograph depicts a crumpled glove against a mottled gray surface. The close-up appears as soft, organic folds of fabric turned partially inside out to reveal a fuzzy lining. A metal fastener and two grommets punctuate the cuff, catching the light along their upper edges while darkened with deep shadows below. Fine scratches mark the image's surface. Three fingers extend from the bottom, pointing toward our right.

Glove

1929, printed 1985

ringl + pit

(German)

Ellen Auerbach

(American, 1906–2004)
Germany
gelatin silver print
Image: 20.4 x 15.4 cm (8 1/16 x 6 1/16 in.); Mounted: 48 x 38 cm (18 7/8 x 14 15/16 in.)
Gift of Galerie Julian Sander, Cologne, in memory of Gerd Sander 2024.23.9
© ringl+pit
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

In the 1930s, many women wore gloves on a daily basis year-round.

Description

This image may have been made as an advertisement, but it inverts—literally—the fashion norm of showing the accessory as a beautiful object. Ellen Auerbach, by turning the glove inside out, stresses the quality of its manufacture and material. She chooses not to have the glove echo the shape of the human hand, instead turning it into a surreal, sculptural, and initially somewhat mysterious object.
  • {{cite web|title=Glove|url=false|author=ringl + pit, Ellen Auerbach|year=1929, printed 1985|access-date=15 June 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.23.9