Fisherman’s Work Gloves

Description:

Deckhands who work aboard factory trawlers in the Bering Sea and North Pacific are exposed to extremely cold, wet, and sometimes dangerous conditions. They wear protective gear such as hard hats, boots, and waterproof clothing, including heavy-duty vinyl work gloves.

These gloves, worn by a fisherman on the catcher-processor Alaska Ocean in 2007, are personalized with a phrase chosen by their owner, a common practice employed for identifying one’s own gear at a moment’s notice. The words “FISH ON ROCK,” appearing on both gloves, were this man's personal choice, their exact meaning known only to him.

While the sleeves of these gloves are long for tucking in the sleeves of other garments, the deck hands often fold the glove sleeves to fit around their wrists when working in relatively warm, dry conditions.

The Alaska Ocean is a 376-foot-long vessel in the Seattle-based catcher-processor fleet. Workers catch, process, package, and freeze groundfish—mostly pollock and Pacific whiting—in the Bering Sea and in the waters off the coast of the Pacific Northwest.

Date Made: ca 2007

Maker: Showa Co.

Place Made: MalaysiaPlace Made: Malaysia

Subject: FishingFishingRelated Event: Contemporary United States

Subject:

See more items in: Work and Industry: Maritime, Clothing & Accessories, Work, Industry & Manufacturing, Natural Resources

Exhibition: On the Water

Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History

Related Web Publication: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater

Related Publication: On the Water online exhibition

Credit Line: Alaska Ocean through Jeff Hendricks

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: 2007.0178.07Catalog Number: 2007.0178.07Accession Number: 2007.0178

Object Name: gloves

Physical Description: polyvinyl chloride (overall material)Measurements: overall: 11 1/4 in x 6 1/4 in x 1 3/4 in; 28.575 cm x 15.875 cm x 4.445 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ac-4831-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_1330187

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.